Almost Brothers
by AA Lover
Summary: Andros and Zhane have a relationship almost like two brothers. What happened to make them so close?
1. Ch 1 Awkward Meetings

Disclaimer: As much as I would like for it to be, Power Rangers is not my creation.

Ch. 1 Awkward Meetings

A small three-year-old boy laid on the huge hospital bed, suffocating his teddy bear as he crushed it to his chest. Beside him another small boy, a little older than the first, was looking around silently. When his eyes met the other's he smiled slightly through his pain. He could tell that the other was very scared, but he had been here before so he already knew what it was like.

"Hi," he whispered, afraid to disrupt the silence, "my name's Zhane, what's yours?"

He noticed that the other boy was debating wether to answer or not, but was relieved when he whispered back, "Andros."

"Andros, it's very nice to meet you," Zhane stated politely. "I'm here because my brothers thought it would be funny to push me off their bunk beds, but instead they broke my arm. Why are you here?"

"Nobody hurt me," Andros answered. "I have to have another surgery on my eyes and ears so they'll work better."

"Where's your mommy and daddy?" he questioned.

"They won't let them back here because I have some bruises that they think they caused," the small boy stated. "I just wish they were wrong."

"Your parents hit you? Why?" Zhane asked, astonished that something like that actually happened. He had seen it on their holographic television and in some of the movies, but he didn't know that it was real.

"Yeah," Andros whispered. "I don't know why they do it but I think it's because I have to have all these surgeries and my dad can't pay for them My mommy just started a little while ago but I don't know what I did to her." Their conversation was cut off as a nurse, Danielle, entered the room.

"I see you've made a new friend, Andros," Danielle stated, as she checked his IV and he nodded. "A policeman will be here in a minute to ask you some questions and you need to tell him the truth no matter what your parents have told you before, okay?"

"I just want to see my mommy," Andros whispered and Zhane could almost feel his pain.

"We don't think that would be very good for you right now," she soothed as she pulled the covers up around his exhausted form. "Get some rest. I'll tell the officer to come back tomorrow."

Within seconds Andros was asleep and Zhane asked, "Why are his parents so mean to him?"

"I really don't know, Zhane," Danielle responded as she moved over to his bed. "But right now, you should lay back down and get some sleep yourself. You're family will be here in the morning to get you."

"What about him?" he asked immediately, sensing that the younger boy was going to endure a lot more than just physical pain before he left the hospital. "If his parents are arrested, what happens to him?"

"I wish I had an answer," she answered. "To the best of my knowledge he'll probably be put up for adoption or live with another family member. Now, get some rest." As she left the room, Zhane remained awake, wishing that he could do something for the boy beside him to make him feel wanted.

Morning came quickly, too quickly if you asked Zhane, and the two boys were served breakfast. Zhane started eating as soon as the plate was in front of him but Andros hesitated.

"What's wrong, Andros?" he asked, his mouth filled to capacity.

"It's just...I don't usually get this much food," Andros answered, almost as though he were ashamed. "I don't think I can eat it all." He sounded as though he was near tears and Zhane didn't understand why.

"It doesn't matter, Andros," he soothed. "Just eat what you can and give the rest back."

"Won't I get in trouble?" he questioned quietly.

"Of course not!" Zhane yelled. "Why would you get in trouble?" Neither of them noticed the police officer that was standing in the doorway.

"My daddy always hit me if I didn't eat all my food," he answered and the police officer gave himself away with a sigh. "I didn't mean it! I didn't mean it!" Andros broke down completely, sobbing uncontrollably as he repeated himself again and again. Danielle rushed in and gave Andros a sedative to calm him down.

After he was asleep she turned her head to the officer and asked, "What happened?"

"I was waiting for you outside the door and I could hear them talking," Officer Tenpenny began. "I listened for a couple of minutes and he said something about how Amor always hit him if he didn't eat all his food. I didn't mean to let them see me, but when I sighed I gave myself away and he started screaming and crying."

"I know he'll never admit it again," Danielle began, more to herself than anyone else in the room, "especially not to a judge."

"I'll tell them," a quiet voice stated and they turned to look at Zhane. "He deserves better than that and I'll tell anyone you want me to what he's told me about his dad."

"Did he ever say anything about his mom?" the officer asked as he pulled out a worn notepad.

"Just that she didn't hit him at first and he doesn't know why she started," Zhane whispered. He didn't know if he should be telling all of this to the officer, he only knew that it was the only thing he could do to help the hurting boy beside him.

"Well," Officer Tenpenny began, "I'm going to go so this information to my Captain and ask Andros' parents some questions, but I'll be back." Both Zhane and Danielle said goodbye and played a card game while waiting for Zhane's parents to show up.

A/N: Please Review!


	2. Ch 2 Family Matters

_Phantom Rogue: It gets a little bit happier in this chapter. Unfortunately, for Andros it can't stay that way forever._

_Jessica01: I would really like to read that one. Where can I find it?_

_Melly: Glad you like it. Here's more!_

Disclaimer: As much as I would like for it to be, Power Rangers is not my creation.

Ch. 2 Family Matters

It was the next morning before Zhane's parents had arrived. They were members of the Peace Council of KO-35 and had been kept late in a meeting. When they arrived both Andros and Zhane were asleep and Danielle filled them in on what had been happening. Zhane was the first to wake up and saw his parents and Danielle talking quietly in the corner.

"Are we going to take Andros home with us?" he questioned seriously.

"I don't know, Zhane," his mother, Katerina, answered. "Your dad and I can't figure out if it would be the best thing for us to do."

"Of course it's the best thing to do!" Zhane yelled, looking over at the other bed and hoping he hadn't woken Andros up. "Mom, we have to do this. I have to do this." He finished more quietly.

"Why is this so important to you Zhane?" his father, Zel, questioned.

"Because I was the only person he trusted enough to tell what had happened to him and now it's my turn to do something about it," he began. "I know that you think this will be a big change but Andros needs something to be the same and I'm that something." His parents only nodded and then left the room to fill out the required paperwork. By that time Andros had woken up and was now staring at Zhane expectantly. "Hey, brother, how are you feeling?"

"Did you just call me your brother?" Andros asked, trying to control the urge to run around the room in excitement.

"Yeah," Zhane answered. "Now I'll have three brothers." He saw Andros' hurt expression and asked, "What's wrong Andros?"

"I have a twin sister," he began, "what's going to happen to her?"

"I guess she'll come to live with us too," Zel answered as he walked back into the room. Andros started at the sound of a new voice and turned to stare at the new comer. "Hi, I'm Zhane's dad, Zel, and this is his mom, Katerina," he stated, introducing both himself and his wife who had also entered the room. Andros looked at both of them curiously before shaking their hands.

"Do you really mean that Karone can come to?" he asked, suddenly afraid of leaving his sister behind,

"Of course," Katerina answered. "We couldn't separate the two of you. In fact, she's waiting outside, would you like to see her?" Andros nodded quickly and Karone walked through the door. She ran over to her brother's bed, with tears in her eyes. Zel lifted her up to the bed and let her reunite with her brother. The police had told them when they had found her she had been locked in a small room and hadn't been feed in at least a week. She had been severely dehydrated and wasn't allowed to see her brother until they were both in better conditions. When Zel had asked why they didn't bring Karone in with Andros the only answer he had received was Andros was hallucinating so much when they brought him in that they hadn't believed him when he had told them where his sister was and now they were dealing with the consequences.

"Andros, what's happening?" Karone asked, as the tears poured down her face.

"I told, Karone," he admitted, knowing that she knew what he meant.

"Why did you do that?" she questioned, glad that her brother had but if no one would have believed him she knew that they would have been in even worse trouble.

"I didn't mean to, it just slipped out and a police officer was standing at the door," he explained, hoping that she wasn't mad.

"What's going to happen to us now?" she asked and he could sense how scared she was.

"This is my new friend, Zhane," Andros answered, pointing over to the other bed. "We're going to stay at his house now and you'll have four brothers."

"No more sisters?" Karone questioned sadly.

"Actually, my mom's getting ready to have another baby and it's supposed to be a girl," Zhane answered and Karone's face lit up.

"I get to be a big sister?" she asked just to make sure.

"You sure do and Andros, you get to be a big brother," Zhane stated hoping to make them both feel better. It always helped to know that you were going to have a big family and Zhane knew that to his new siblings that a family was all that really mattered to either of them.

A/N: Please Review. I'm having a little case of writer's block on Andros' Life so I plan to work on this one for a while. Please feel free to share any ideas that you have for what should happen next in either one.


	3. Ch 3 Meeting the Family

Disclaimer: As much as I would like for it to be, Power Rangers is not my creation.

_Phantom Rogue: No, he's not going to go back with his parents although he will see them several times in the future._

Ch. 3 Meeting the Family

Three weeks passed before Andros and Karone were allowed to move in with Zhane's family. They were rather scared of having to meet their two new brothers but Zhane assured them that they were very nice. When they arrived at the house Katerina unbuckled Andros and Karone from their car seats and placed them on the ground. The siblings immediately grabbed each other's hands as they walked up to the door. The house was beautiful and very large. Andros noticed that there were all kinds of toys that he would absolutely love to get his hands on but then he noticed the sad look on Karone's face. She too had noticed the abundant number of toys that were in the house but they were all meant for boys.

"Bryce, Zarkin, get down here," Zel called, once he had entered the house with the small amount of Andros and Karone's belongings. It seemed that their parents had bought them only one outfit a piece and they only had a couple of stuffed animals that they couldn't live without. The two boys came running down the stairs and stopped when they saw their new siblings. Zhane had told Andros and Karone that his brothers were also twins, although they weren't identical.

"Hi," one of the eight-year-old boys stated as he stepped forward, "I'm Bryce." Andros ran behind Zel and hid while Karone came forward to greet the boy.

"I'm Karone," she replied sticking out her hand. "That's my brother, Andros. We're twins too." She then whispered, "He doesn't like meeting new people."

"Neither does my brother," Bryce whispered back and then stated loudly enough for Andros to hear, "This is my brother, Zarkin." The other boy just waved. "Come on, I'll show you your room."

"Are we going to share?" Andros asked quietly.

"Yes," Katerina answered, "at least for the first little while." They continued their climb up the stairs and then began to walk down a large hallway. As they went Bryce was pointing to each room telling Andros and Karone what they were.

"That's mine and Zarkin's room," he began, "that's the bathroom, that one over there is my mom and dad's room, that one's Zhane's and the one right beside it is yours." Karone ran over to the door he was pointing at, dragging Andros behind her, and opened it. She immediately ran over to the bed with pink covers on it and jumped on it. As she looked around the room she saw that there were all kinds of girl toys just for her.

Katerina saw the surprised look on her face and stated, "We figured that you would need some girl toys to play with so we went on a little shopping trip."

"You got these just for me?" the little girl asked, almost in tears.

"Actually," Bryce began, but he was cut off by his father's glare. Bryce automatically saw his mistake. He knew that his parents wanted to make the two newcomers feel important and he had almost ruined it.

"Yeah, we did," Zel answered. "Do you like them?" Karone nodded enthusiastically and went to play with her toys. They all noticed that Andros just sat on her bed watching her play closely and figured that he was just used to having to protect her.

"Hey, Andros," Zhane called and went over to his new brother, "why don't you come in my room and we can play?"

"No," Andros answered and Zhane's smile fell, "I want to watch Karone for a while."

Seeing Zhane's hurt expression Zarkin came to the rescue, "Zhane, why don't you come and play with me and Bryce for a while." Zhane immediately smiled and raced off with his older brothers. Zel and Katerina watched Andros and Karone for a few minutes and then left the two alone to become familiar with their new surroundings.

"Do you think he's okay?" Katerina asked as soon as they were back downstairs in the living room.

"I think he's just used to the way things use to be," Zel answered. "He'll be fine."

Back upstairs, Andros questioned, "Karone, do you really like it here?"

"Yeah," she replied, looking up from her new dollhouse. "You should go and play with Zhane I'll be fine here." She knew that her brother was only trying to protect her but there was no reason for him to protect her now.

"Are you sure?" he asked, unsure that he could actually have fun without his sister.

"Yes, now go!" Karone commanded, shoving him out the door. He walked down the hallway to Bryce and Zarkin's room and knocked. When Zhane came to the door he automatically pulled Andros into the room and Andros finally let himself relax in his new house with his new family.

A/N: Please review.


	4. Ch 4 Trust

_Phantom Rogue: They're safe for now, but it's still going to be hard on them especially Andros._

_BabyInu317: I would love to make it into a play. Thanks for the offer._

_Jessica01: You;re exactly right. How do you do it?_

Disclaimer: As much as I would like for it to be, Power Rangers is not my creation.

Ch. 4 Trust

Over the next several weeks Andros and Karone grew closer and closer to their new siblings. Andros would now let Karone play by herself when she wanted and go play with Zhane, Bryce, and Zarkin. Zhane had taken Andros under his wing. He loved having a younger brother and made sure to spend time with Andros everyday. Although Andros was playing with the other boys it was painfully obvious to Zel and Katerina that he was still having a hard time adjusting to his new life. They would hear him scream in the middle of the night after awakening from another nightmare but only Zhane and Karone could ever comfort him.

"Andros!" Zhane called from the bottom of the stairs. "Come on, we're going to be late." It was Andros and Karone's first day of school and while Karone was very excited to meet new friends Andros was scared. The only thing that was comforting to Andros was that he was going to be in the same class as Zhane. Although he was two years younger he had scored so high on his test that the teachers had said it would be a waste of time to start him out in a lower grade. Zhane's parents had agreed but had told the principal to make sure that Andros and Zhane were in the same class.

"I don't want to go!" Andros yelled from his room. "I want to stay here!"

Zel started up the stairs but Zhane interrupted, "I'll go get him." He walked up the stairs and into the room, almost laughing at the sight in front of him. Karone was actually trying to pull Andros off his bed and out of the house. "Karone, you go on downstairs, I need to talk to your brother." Karone left but not before turning around to stick her tongue out at her brother. This time Zhane did laugh but sobered up quickly and turned to his friend. "What's wrong, Andros? All you've been talking about for the past couple of weeks has been going to school and now you don't want to go?"

"I'm scared, Zhane," the small boy admitted quietly. "I'm going to be smaller than everyone else in our class and they'll all make fun of me."

"I won't let them make fun of you," Zhane promised. "The first one that does I'll beat up and then no one will do it again, okay?" Andros nodded and allowed Zhane to haul him to his feet. "Race 'ya!" Andros quickly overcame his nervousness as he raced after his best friend.

"Hey you two!" Zel yelled as the neared the bottom of the stairs. "No running in the house!"

"Sorry, Dad," they both stated and Zel couldn't help but smile as he loaded his five children up in the car for their first day of school.

Andros was right. Almost all the kids in their class had laughed at him the moment they had seen him. One boy, Tyran, had actually tried to fit Andros into one of the lockers, luckily a teacher had walked by at the right moment and had taken him straight to the principal. Zhane had stood by his side all day, taking up for him any time anyone would say anything. Their teacher, Jase Karova had tried to stay out of the situation trying to see if Andros would ever stand up for himself but sadly he just took what the other children were saying.

"Mr. Karova?" Zhane asked as he and Andros approached the desk. When he looked up he saw that Andros looked like he was about to break down into tears. "Darrin knows about Andros' parents and told him that his parents were right to hate him. Can we go to the restroom for a minute?"

"Sure," Jase stated to the boy, glad to see that Zhane knew how to handle the situation. "Don't worry I'll take care of Darrin and the rest of the class while you're gone." Andros seemed oblivious to the conversation going on around him, focused completely on not crying until he was a great distance away from the classroom.

When they walked into the restroom Andros started sobbing and Zhane simply wrapped his arms around the small shuddering boy. By the time they returned to their classroom they could tell their had been a huge discussion about how to treat each other. Andros and Zhane both took their seats and Andros was truly surprised when no one made fun of him for the rest of the day. In fact, all the kids actually apologized to him and became his friends. At playtime they were called to the principal's office along with Karone, Bryce, and Zarkin.

As they walked through the door they saw Zel standing there and he stated, "Your mom is having the baby." They all hurried to the vehicle, wanting to be there when their baby sister, Kilee. When they arrived at the hospital a nurse directed them to the room where Katerina was staying. They walked quietly into the room and Bryce, Zarkin, and Zhane jumped up on the bed.

"Is Kilee here yet?" Bryce questioned as his mother smiled at them.

"No," she answered in a quiet voice, "but she'll be here in a few hours." She noticed that Andros and Karone were standing alone in the corner. Andros looked like he might have had a bad first day of school and Karone was trying to comfort him. "You two come over here too." Karone hurried over but Andros remained in the corner, staring off into space as though he hadn't heard her.

"Zhane," Zel began, "come out here for just a second." Zhane knew that his father was going to ask about their day at school but he wasn't sure what to say. He had thought that Andros was fine now. Especially since everyone had apologized to him but now he wasn't so sure. Zhane then realized that he had left Andros alone for a while when he had seen another of his friends in the hallway right before their playtime. He now wondered what had happened during that time. "What happened today at school?" his father asked as they sat down in two of the chairs in the hall.

"At first everyone made fun of Andros but the teacher said something to them and when Andros and I came back from the restroom everyone apologized," Zhane began. "I thought that everything was okay but I did leave him alone when I saw another friend of mine. He went on outside and he did seem a little quiet when I found him but I really didn't have time to think about it before they came to get us to see you."

"I think you should find out what happened," Zel stated as he led his son back into the room. Zhane immediately went to Andros and dragged him outside.

"What happened when you went outside?" he asked and he saw tears beginning to form in Andros' eyes. "Come on, you know you can trust me."

"Well," Andros began singing down to the floor, "I walked outside and..."

A/N: Sorry to leave you hanging but I'm really not sure what Andros should say. Please review.


	5. Ch 5 Hidden Past

Disclaimer: As much as I would like for it to be, Power Rangers is not my creation.

_Phantom Rogue: It's a lot sadder for him in this chapter._

_PowrRangrFreeek: Here's more._

Ch. 5 Hidden Past

"And what?" Zhane questioned when Andros stopped speaking. He could clearly see the fear on his little brother's face but didn't know how to take it away.

"My parents walked by," Andros whispered, his answer barely audible, even in the quite hospital.

"What! But they're supposed to be in jail!" Zhane yelled. He could tell that there was more to the story by the way Andros continued to stare at his feet, determined not to meet his eyes. "What did they do?"

"My dad said something about that they were going to get me back and I'd wish they would've killed me earlier," he whispered and then he broke into tears. Zhane quickly sank down on the floor beside him and wrapped his arms around the trembling little boy.

"Andros," he stated, "we won't let them take you back, I promise." Andros looked up at him, his eyes full of hope and Zhane could only pray that they could provide him with the protection he would need. As Andros began to calm down they walked back into the room and Andros walked over to the hospital bed where his mom was lying. She wore a pained expression and he wished there was something he could do to ease her pain as she had done for him.

"Mom," he whispered, "can you hold me please." Katerina's eyes had shot open when he had called her mom and just the look on his face told her that she couldn't deny his wish. Something in that expression told her that he had never been held by either of his parents, at least since he was a baby.

"Of course I will," she answered and was glad to see a smile on his face. She saw Zhane talking quietly to Zel and by the look in his eyes she could tell that the news wasn't good, but she wasn't going to ask yet. Right now she needed to take care of her baby boy and prove to him that they all cared for him more than anything else in the world.

It didn't take long for Andros to fall asleep in Katerina's arms, something that she was very glad of. She didn't know how much longer she could have stood the look of complete terror in his eyes even though he tried to hide it. She noticed that her other children, with the exception of Zhane had also went to sleep in the multiple chairs in the room.

"What happened?" she asked looking directly at her husband.

"His parents are out of jail," Zel answered, careful not to wake the sleeping children.

"They went by school today and told him that they would get him back and made several more threats," Zhane added quietly from his chair in the corner of the room. "I promised him that we would keep him safe. We're not going to let them have him and Karone back are we?" The fear that was present in her son's voice made Katerina all the madder as she shook her head.

"Of course we're not going to let them take them back," she replied determinedly. Suddenly, a contraction hit and she let out a scream. All the children woke up and Zel rushed over to get Andros out of the bed. "It's time!" she yelled just as the doctor came running in.

"She's right," the doctor replied. A nurse came and ushered the children to the waiting room while their little sister was brought into the world. It didn't take long for the sound of crying and a faint lullaby to reach their ears. They all waited anxiously around the door waiting for Kilee to be brought out for them to see. Zel walked out a few minutes later holding a small bundle in his arms.

"Guys," he began quietly, "I want you to meet your baby sister, Kilee." Just as Bryce reached out to touch her he added, "You can't touch her yet. She has to have some shots first that way she doesn't get sick." He didn't miss the hurt look that flashed across Bryce's face but they all nodded. Zel handed Kilee to the nurse and walked the children back to see their mother.

"Mommy!" Karone cried as she ran through the door, jumping on the bed. Katerina wrapped her arms around her daughter and kissed her forehead. "When do we get to hold Kilee?"

"As soon as the doctor gives her shots and they get all the information that they need," she answered, knowing that it wasn't what Karone wanted to hear but it was the truth. Several hours passed before a nurse brought Kilee back into the room. By then all the children and Katerina were asleep but when Kilee began crying they all woke up.

"I think someone's hungry," the nurse stated handing Katerina a bottle and Kilee. As soon as she was done eating she was passed over to Zel who helped each of his other children hold their new baby sister.

When it was Andros' turn he simply shook his head and Zel asked, "Why don't you want to hold her?"

"I just don't want to," Andros answered but they could hear the tears in his voice.

"Why?" Zhane questioned gently, knowing all to well that pushing Andros wasn't a good idea.

"I can't say," he whispered and Zhane wrapped his arms around the small boy.

"We won't tell anyone," he promised.

Andros nodded and began, "We had a baby sister. Her name was Cestra. One night she was crying really loud and I went to check on her. My daddy was standing there hitting her like he did me and I made him stop. My mommy came into the room and he told her that I was the one who had hit Cestra. They took her to the hospital but it was too late and she died. Nobody believed that I did it but they were too scared of my daddy to say anything about it." By the end of his story both he and Karone were in tears and their new parents were too.

"Listen," Zel stated finally, "we know you won't hurt Kilee. I'm even going to help you hold her, okay?" He nodded slowly, wiping the tears off his face, and climbed onto the bed. He sat in Zel's lap allowing him to place Kilee in his arms while keeping his hand under Andros'. After only a few minutes Kilee was asleep and Zel added, "See you're a great big brother." Andros smiled slightly and made a promise never to let anything happen to Kilee or any of his other siblings.

A/N: Please Review!


	6. Ch 6 Alone Again

Disclaimer: As much as I would like for it to be, Power Rangers is not my creation.

_PowrRangrFreeek: Well this really doesn't say whether his parents get him back or not but it will be in one of the next couple of chapters._

_Phantom Rogue: Thanks. It's really not that hard, especially after what they give us to go on in the show. _

Ch. 6 Alone Again

Four months had passed since Kilee was born and Andros had slowly begun to trust himself around her. He was an over-protective big brother but everyone knew he meant well. At the moment Kilee was in her playpen and Andros was watching her.

"Hey, Andros!" Karone yelled, running down the stairs.

"What Karone?" he asked just as loudly.

"Do you want to go to the park?" she questioned as she ran into the living room.

"Did Mom and Dad say it was okay?" he inquired.

"I haven't asked them yet," Karone replied, smiling shyly.

"Well, I think you have to get permission before we can go," Andros answered, smiling back at her. Upon hearing his response she ran up the stairs as fast as she could to their parents' room.

"Mommy! Daddy!" she yelled as she ran through their open door. "Can me and Andros go play at the park?" She looked at them with her most adorable look and they couldn't say no.

"Yes, but be back in time for dinner," Katerina replied, but she really doubted Karone had heard her past the yes.

"They said yes! They said yes!" she screamed as she ran back down the stairs. Andros was already standing by the door with his shoes on. "Cheater!" she accused but put her boots on quickly. As soon as the door shut they took off running in the direction of the park an unstated race going on between them. "Did you bring it?"

Andros pulled the telekinesis ball out of his pocket and expanded it out in front of him. They both made themselves comfortable on the grass before beginning their game. Andros started the ball and soon they were fighting for control. When he won Karone made several faces at him before returning her concentration to the game. Once she got the ball away from him she intentionally 'threw' the ball over his head and into the trees behind him.

"Karone!" he yelled, running after the ball. "Why'd you do that for?"

"You were mean!" she screamed back at him. Suddenly, two strong arms wrapped themselves around her waist and pulled her away. "Andros! Help!"

"Karone?" he cried from the trees. By the time he made his way out he saw Karone being pulled away. He ran after the monster as fast as he could and kicked it as soon as he got close enough. The monster just whirled around and shoved him down causing him to hit his head and fall unconscious.

After an hour had passed and Andros and Karone had not returned from the park Katerina and Zel decided to go looking for them. When they found Andros he had a tremendous amount of blood pouring from his head. Zel pulled out his phone (one like Zhane has to morph) and called an ambulance. Katerina demanded to ride with Andros while Zel went back to the house to pick up their other children. He had searched for Karone while they had waited for the ambulance and had only found her shoe.

Almost three hours had passed since they had all arrived at the hospital. Andros had to be rushed into surgery to stop bleeding in his brain and they could only hope that he could remember what had happened to Karone. Soon Danielle, the nurse that had taken care of Andros before, came out to tell them that he was in recovery.

"You should be able to see him once he wakes up," she explained. "The doctor said not to ask him about Karone right away. You need to wait even though it's probably not the best think for her.

Meanwhile, Darkonda packed a no four-year-old Karone into the Throne Room of the Dark Fortress. He sat her down on the ground but kept a firm grasp on her shoulder.

"Dark Specter told me to retrieve the child from you," Ecliptor stated from behind them. He was in a human form to make Karone feel more comfortable. It wasn't that he really cared but he knew this girl was his ticket to the top of the evil monarchy. He took Karone and gave her a plate of food. "Now, you be good or we'll gave problems. Understood?" Karone nodded, understanding that he meant business and that it was no time to test her boundaries. As she ate she couldn't help but think about Andros and she hoped desperately that he was okay.

A/N: Please Review!


	7. Ch 7 Blame

Disclaimer: As much as I would like for it to be, Power Rangers is not my creation.

_Star Fata: Glad you like it. Here's more. _

_Jessica01: You're right._

Ch. 7 Blame

Pain, that's all his mind could process. Andros opened his eyes slowly to find his parents and siblings staring at him. He attempted to sit up but Katerina pushed him back down. As his head hit the pillow he remembered what had happened to Karone.

"Where is she!" he screamed, shooting up from the hospital bed.

"Calm down, Andros," Zhane stated climbing into the bed. "We need you to tell us what happened." Zel stepped to the door and motioned for Officer Tenpenny to come into the room.

"We were playing with the ball and then Karone got it," he began. "She was mad at me so she threw it over my head. I went to get and then I heard her scream. I ran back out of the bushes and saw a monster carrying her away. I went after them and kicked the monster but he pushed me away and I hit my head." Tears begin to form in his eyes as he looked pleadingly at the officer. "You'll find her right?"

"We'll do our best," he answered honestly, wishing that he could magically bring Karone back. Officer Tenpenny left the room and headed back to his headquarters to report to his captain.

"This is all my fault," Andros cried, shoving Zhane away as he tried to calm him down. "I should have stopped him."

"Andros," Katerina began, "you couldn't have stopped him. We'll find Karone, don't worry." She held him down as he tried to get out of the bed and Danielle rushed in to sedate him.

"We thought this might happen," Danielle stated, checking the monitors hooked to Andros. "We have arranged for Andros to meet with a psychiatrist whenever he feels better. Dr. Shocker believes it will be the best thing for him."

"Who is it?" Zel questioned. He knew many of the doctors on KO-35 and had hoped to see this doctor before Andros.

"Dr. B," she answered, "but she said that she didn't want to meet with you before Andros." Zel smiled slightly, amused that his friend would know what he would want to do.

"Well then, I guess I'll just have to wait," he replied, taking a seat beside his wife.

A week later Andros was going for his first visit with Dr. B. His father had promise that she was very nice and just wanted to help him but deep down Andros wasn't convinced. Why would a complete stranger care about him? She would probably blame him for Karone's disappearance just as he had for the past week. As they pulled up to the building Andros began feeling scared. The last time he had trusted someone it had lead to his parents' arrest and now they were even madder at him. What would happen if they found out he had let some monster take Karone?

"Andros," Zhane began, shaking his friend lightly, "come on." Andros followed Zhane and the rest of their family into the building. They walked into a relatively small waiting area and sat down. After a few minutes Zhane, Bryce and Zarkin went to play with the toys on the other side of the room. "Do you wanna play?" Andros just shook his head and watched as his brothers went to play. Behind a see through mirror Dr. B looked on, saddened by the young boy's lack of enthusiasm. She watched for a few more minutes before realizing that this child needed a lot of help.

"Andros," she stated gently as she opened the door to the waiting room, "you can come back now." Andros stood slowly looking back several times before following her into her office. He was surprised to see that there were even more toys in here than had been in the waiting room. "You can play with those while we talk if you want to."

"I better not," he whispered, taking a seat in a rather large chair.

"Why not?" Dr. B asked. She was very surprised to see that a four-year-old boy who should be extremely hyper was refusing to play with any toys or even to do anything but sit in a chair.

"I don't want to break them," he answered honestly.

"Do you want to talk about what happened?" she questioned, hoping to get him to open up, even if it was just a little. She was shocked to see the tears that immediately formed in his eyes. What had he been through? "It's okay," she soothed as she went over to the chair and pulled him into her arms. At first he resisted but soon tears were flowing freely down his face.

"I didn't mean for it to happen," he gasped out. "I tried to get him to let her go but I wasn't strong enough. Now, my mom and dad will get me back and make me pay for it." He hadn't realized that he had let the whole story come out until he pulled back and saw the look on Dr. B's face.

"What happened?" she found herself asking before she could lose her nerve. Seeing Andros break down made her fear that even worse things had happened to him than he had ever told anyone.

"Can I start at the beginning?" he whispered and she nodded. "The first time I remember my dad hitting me was when I turned two. We didn't even get a party. All we got was a phone call from our grandma and grandpa. We wanted to play outside and dad told us no so we went upstairs to play. We didn't have a lot of toys so we just pretended." He took a break, wondering if he should tell her the rest. "While we were up there dad got drunk and came upstairs. He said one of us was making too much noise and I told him it was me. The next thing I knew I was in the hospital and Karone was in a bed next to me. The doctors said they wouldn't let me or Karone stay with our parents but they lied. We were home in a few days and it started getting worse. Both of them started hitting me but not enough to take me to a doctor. They would just do it a lot everyday."

"Do you want to tell me the rest or do you need a break?" Dr. B questioned.

"I'll keep going," Andros responded, seeming almost relieved to have everything out in the open. "I would always take the blame for whatever Karone did but they still hurt her. They didn't hit her as much but they would put her in our room for days without food or anything to drink. Then, Cestra came. I tried to protect her but I couldn't. Dad would just do whatever he wanted and mom didn't believe me when I told her what he was doing. And then he killed her. The doctors believed me but they're all scared of my dad. When the police finally came and found me I tried to tell them where Karone was, but they wouldn't listen."

"Did you lie to Zhane when you told him you were in the hospital for surgery?" Andros only nodded, staring down at his hands. "Why?"

"I didn't want him to know the truth," he answered. "I didn't want him to tell."

"Well," Dr. B began, "our time is up, but I'll see you again tomorrow, okay?" Andros nodded and followed her back to the waiting room.

As he left with his family Dr. B was happy that he was at least interacting with his brothers now.

A/N: Please Review. Only four more days of school for me so hopefully after that updates will be regular.


	8. Ch 8 Chosen

Disclaimer: As much as I would like for it to be, Power Rangers is not my creation.

_Star Fata: Thanks._

_Jessica01: Here's more._

Ch. 8 Chosen

Three months had passed since Karone's abduction and Andros was finally beginning to allow himself to relax and return to the semi-carefree boy he had once been. Dr. B had told them that Andros had made a lot of strides during the past few months and if he continued he would return to his old self, at least partly. Although the police had been unable to find any evidence on Karone's abductor they had written it off as an Alien Kidnapping and let it go. Neither Andros nor any of his family had been happy the news so they had begun their own searching.

Andros, Zhane, Bryce, and Zarkin were now playing in the park with the close supervision of both their parents. They were playing a game of tag when suddenly Commander Kinwon came up to them.

"Why don't you boys come over here with your parents for a minute," the Commander stated and the boys obeyed. Once they were with Zel and Katerina he began, "I'm sorry to interrupt your family's time together but I have some rather important news." They nodded as the children climbed onto the bench to sit with them. Andros sat in Katerina's lap while Zhane sat in Zel's, making room for them all. "Your sons have shown the potential to be the red, silver, black and blue rangers and I want them to come to training."

"But they're only five, seven, and ten," their mother argued. "Aren't they a little young?"

"The sooner they go into training the better," Kinwon replied. "I understand that they are young but they won't have to fight for several years."

"What do you think?" Zel asked his wife, knowing that she would be the one to make the final decision.

"We'll have to talk it over if that's okay," Katerina answered, obviously worried about her sons.

"That will be fine," Kinwon stated. "Just let me know when you've made your decision." With that he turned and left, desperately hoping that they would allow their sons to be trained since there was no one else that could become those rangers.

After their meeting with Kinwon the family returned to their home to discuss the proposition that had been given to them. Of course, the boys wanted to go. They all loved fighting and dreamed of being Power Rangers night and day. Andros was the only one the least bit doubtful. He didn't want to hurt anyone else because of his mistakes.

"Mom," Zarkin began firmly, "we want to go. We'll keep an eye on each other and nothing will happen to us."

"This is a big decision," Katerina answered. "I'm not sure you are ready for this responsibility."

"Of course we are," Zhane stated. "Besides, Kinwon said it would be years before we actually had to fight so all we'll be doing is training."

"Are you sure this is what you want?" Zel questioned. He knew that his sons wanted to go but was at the same time concerned that they weren't ready. As they all nodded he added, "We'll call Kinwon in the morning and give him the answer."

The next morning came quickly and Zel was on the com system with Kinwon giving him the great news. When he hung up he headed to the kitchen to fix them all breakfast.

"What'd he say?" Zhane asked excitedly.

"You go for training later today," Zel replied. "For the first little bit you'll still live here but at some point you'll be sending most of your time at the training zone." The boys, with the exception of Andros, ran around the kitchen happy that their parents were actually going to let them go. "What's wrong?" Andros shrugged as his father lifted him into a chair in the kitchen.

"What if everyone makes fun of me?"

"I'm sure your brothers won't let that happen," he answered, wishing to give his youngest son the confidence he needed for this newest task. "Besides, if it gets to bad you can always tell me and I'll go give them a long lecture." Andros smiled, knowing exactly what lecture his father was talking about. It was the one his brothers and he always got when they were in trouble. "You go on and play. We'll talk some more later, okay?" Andros nodded and ran upstairs after his brothers.

A/N: Please Review!


	9. Ch 9 No Room for Doubts

Disclaimer: As much as I would like for it to be, Power Rangers is not my creation.

Ch. 9 No Room for Doubts

_Phantom Rogue: He won't be that sensitive for long. It's just because he's young. It will go up until the battle for KO-35 but I', not sure wether I will kill them or not. It seems like that may be a little much for him to deal with all alone._

_Slytherin-Angel44: Here's more._

_Star Fata: It might not be so pointless._

Over the next several weeks Andros, Zhane, Zarkin, and Bryce were trained very hard. At first, they had all been placed at the beginners' level but within the day they moved up to the most advanced class. It wasn't long before they were the top of their class. As the days passed Kinwon knew that they were going to be fighting long before he would've liked. Dark Specter's attacks on nearby planets were increasing with strength and he knew it would only be a matter of days before he came looking for a new target.

"Andros!" Zhane yelled jumping on his little brother's bed, which had been moved into his room after Karone had been kidnapped. "Come on! It's time for us to leave!" Andros opened his eyes slowly and Zhane saw him wince as he sat up. "Are you okay?" He knew Andros had been pushing himself a little too hard during their training but hadn't put much thought into it until now.

"I'm fine," Andros whispered, but he knew it was a lie when he attempted to sit up but fell back to the bed crying.  
"No, you're not," Zhane replied and went to find their parents. Zel and Katerina ran into the room and Katerina handed Kilee to Zhane.

"What's wrong, Andros?" she asked, as she sat down on the bed beside him. She had once helped at a hospital and was using her experience to check on her son. As she felt along his rib cage he curled up in a ball and cried harder. "We'll have to take him to the doctor."

It wasn't long before they were all in the hover car headed for the hospital. Once inside a doctor immediately attended to Andros because of his pre-Ranger status. Within thirty minutes he was back out the door with strict instructions to take it easy at training for a few days, little did they know they wouldn't have that long. As they walked out of the hospital a huge explosion was heard somewhere in the distance.

"It's time!" Kinwon yelled as he ran up to the family. "You have to fight now!"

The four brothers didn't waste any time before yelling, "Let's Rocket!" They rushed off to their first battle leaving their parents to pray for their safety.

It wasn't until three o'clock the next morning that they returned home. They had one the battle but it had taken a lot longer than expected. There had been thousands of Quantrons but no monsters, which had served as a surprise. Kinwon secretly thought it was because Dark Specter wanted to see how strong their defenses were before sending in his monsters. Andros was being carried by his two oldest brothers while Zhane was trailing slightly behind them.

"What happened?" Zel questioned, as he rushed forward and took Andros into his arms.

"He got hurt saving me," Zhane whispered, staring down at his feet. "I should've seen them coming."

"Let's all go in and get some rest," Katerina stated, leading her other sons into the house behind her husband. Once they were all in bed and resting comfortably she asked, "Will Zhane be alright?"  
"Yeah," her husband answered. "He just doesn't like for Andros to get hurt. Plus, Kinwon told me earlier tonight they have the other two rangers chosen and they'll be fighting with them very soon."

"I hope you're right," Katerina murmured peeking into Andros and Zhane's room once more.

The weeks passed quickly as the attacks continued to increase in strength with the time between attacks becoming shorter and shorter. After a rather intense day of training Andros and Zhane decided to go to the lake instead of going straight home. While they sat there each was lost in their own thoughts. Andros was starting to wonder if he should be the leader of the rangers but at the same time he didn't want anyone else to lead. He knew that he was the best for the job but he didn't know if he could stand if anyone got hurt under his command, especially one of his brothers. Zhane was lost in thoughts from previous weeks. Why had he let Andros take a hit for him? Why hadn't he seen the monster coming? Would he cost someone else their life because he wasn't paying attention?

"Andros?" he began quietly. "Do you think I'm a good fighter?"

"Of course," Andros answered. "You're one of the best on the planet. If you weren't you wouldn't be a ranger. All you need is to pay attention a little more." They sat in silence for a few seconds before he questioned, "Do you think I'm a good leader?"

"Yeah," Zhane replied. "If it wasn't for you all of us would already be dead. You're the one with the level-headiness and no one else can watch my back like you do."

"Thanks," Andros whispered.

"You're welcome," he stated. "Now, let's get home for some dinner!"

"Race ya!" Andros yelled as soon as he was on his feet and running towards their house.

A/N: Please Review! In case I don't get to update either story tomorrow, I'm leaving on a 10 day vacation and I don't know if I'll be able to update. If there's an internet connection I will but don't count on it.


	10. Ch 10 Trouble On the Home Front

Disclaimer: As much as I would like for it to be, Power Rangers is not my creation.

_Dancer1: Hope you like it._

_Jessica01: I had a great time but I'm glad to be home._

_Star Fata: There'll be a lot more brotherly love._

_Phantom Rogue: Yeah. Zhane thinks he owes Andros now. _

_Sltherin-Angel44: Here's more._

Ch. 10 Trouble On the Home Front

Five years passed quickly for the colony of KO-35, as Andros, Zhane, Bryce, and Zarkin quickly grew to ages 10, 12, and 15 and their other two rangers, Rylan, 11, and Akako, 13, were quickly growing into a small family on their own. Dark Specter's attacks had been quiet regular but for some unknown reason they had stopped. Kinwon had taken this opportunity to give the young rangers time to spend with their families. Andros and his older brothers had decided to keep it a secret from their parents because it was very close to KO-35's Parents' Day (Mother's Day and Father's Day together) and had told them that they would have training and wouldn't be able to make it home. They had all been working extremely hard to save up some extra money to by their parents presents and had finally saved enough to buy them a new Comm System so they would be able to talk to each other more often.

After they had picked up the present they headed for their house. As they neared it the smell of smoke filled the air and they rushed forward. It didn't take long for their house to come into view with flames shooting out of the roof. Zarkin threw down the gift as they all broke into sprints and ran through the front door of the burning house. Andros went immediately in search of Kilee, leaving his brothers to find their parents. He found her on her bed room floor gasping for breath.

"Andros?" she questioned weakly.

"It's going to be okay," he whispered, the smoke beginning to have an affect on his breathing. He hurried and gathered Kilee into his arms and carried her out of the house. "Stay here," he ordered as he ran back into the house to help get his parents. When he got to their bedroom he saw Bryce and Zarkin dragging Zel towards the door. Andros rushed over and helped Zhane lift their mother off the floor. "We have to hurry! The roof's getting ready to cave in!" They went as fast as they could and made it out just as the roof fell. By that time the fire department and ambulances were there.

They hurried over and relieved the boys of their parents weight. All four of them fell to the ground and they were all rushed to the hospital. Andros was the first to wake up and began fighting the doctor when he didn't see any of his family in the room.

"Relax, Andros," Dr. Shocker whispered. "Your brothers are in the next room. We'll let you see them in a little while."

"What happened?" he questioned, only remembering bits and pieces of his day.

"You and your brothers saved your parents and your sister from your house. It had been set on fire after they had all been gassed," the doctor answered honestly. "We believe it might have been an attack by Dark Specter, but the police and Ranger Academy are still looking into it." Andros only nodded, his eye lids becoming heavy once again as a nurse put medicine in his I.V. "You just rest and I'll be back to see you in a little while."

It was a month before all of them were allowed to go home. Andros had caught a severe case of pneumonia and Kilee had been placed in Intensive Care because of all the smoke she had inhaled. The Ranger Academy had found traces of alien material in several rooms of the house and saw it as an attack by Dark Specter. They had quickly moved the other rangers' parents into the Academy and had put surveillance personnel with Andros and his family at the hospital. After they had moved all their things that had survived into their new home at the Academy Andros and his brothers told their parents about the gift the had bought for them. Unfortunately, it had been broken in the rush to save their parents but they all agreed that their family's safety was far more important.

"Well," Zel began as his sons returned from another day of training, "how'd it go today?" He had to admit, if only to himself, he liked living here much better than at their house now that they got to see all their children everyday.

"Pretty good," Zhane answered, but he noticed that Andros looked different somehow. "Don't ask," his son warned. Silently he added, _'I'll explain later.'_ Zel just nodded and let his youngest son go to his room. "He likes Akako, but I think he's afraid that she doesn't like him."

"Why wouldn't she?" he questioned.

"He's been kind of hard on her lately," Zhane replied. "He yells at her a lot but at the same time has obvious feelings for her. I think she may remind him of Karone."

"Have you talked to him about it?" his father asked, glancing up the stairs.

"I've tried, but all he does is change the subject or say he has work to do," he answered.

"I'll try later," Zel stated determinedly.

"Thanks, Dad," Zhane replied as he too headed up the stairs for a well earned rest.

A/N: Please Review!


	11. Ch 11 Finding Love

Disclaimer: As much as I would like for it to be, Power Rangers is not my creation.

_PernDragonrider: Yeah, time away was good, but it's even better to be back._

_Jessica01: Yes, she reminds him of Karone that's why he's always hard on her._

_Star Fata: I understand the Brain Drain, trust me._

_Slytherin-Angel44: Here's more._

Ch. 11 Finding Love

Nearly a week had passed and ever since their dad had talked to Andros he had been being a lot nicer to Akako. Zhane didn't know what his father had said nor did he want to but he was happy for the turnaround. At the moment they were all watching a movie, taking a well deserved break, while they had one. Zhane keep taking quick glances at Andros, noticing that he kept scooting closer and closer to Akako. Although he wanted his younger brother to be happy Zhane couldn't help but feel a little jealous.

"Hey, Zhane!" Zarkin yelled, successfully getting his attention. "It's not nice to stare," he whispered. Zarkin glanced over his head and added, "He's fine. Let's let him do this himself, okay?" Zhane nodded and turned his attention back to the movie. It wasn't long before their peaceful day turned upside down.

"DECA, what's going on?" Andros questioned, jumping up from the couch and switched to his leader mode.

"Astronama is attacking," the AI replied. "She has an army of monsters with her."

"Let's go!" Andros ordered and the all ran to the Work Bay.

When they arrived on KO-35 they quickly divided into three groups to divide up the monsters. Andros and Zhane of course got the hardest assignment with Astronama and Ecliptor.

"You two don't actually think you can stop us do you?" Astronama questioned, laughing hysterically. "We'll destroy both of you and then I'll go after your little Pink Ranger." Andros felt his anger rising but he couldn't control it. He snapped, running at Astronama with everything he had. He pulled out his Spiral Saber and slashed at her. Her necklace flew off her neck and landed in nearby bushes.

Before either could think much about it Ecliptor had Andros pinned to the ground and Zhane was keeping Astronama busy. Andros recovered quickly rolling out of Ecliptor's grip. They fought, each side landing a good percentage of hits, until the other rangers came to help.

"Come on, Ecliptor," Astronama commanded, "let's get back to the Dark Fortress." She was gone before she remembered her necklace but Andros hadn't forgotten. He rushed over to the bushes and searched through them.

"Andros, what are you looking for?" Bryce questioned, concerned that his youngest brother had lost it.

"Found it!" Andros stated, pulling the prize from the bushes. He looked at it strangely when he recognized the symbol on the front of it and he felt his heart skip a beat. He opened it slowly, afraid that this was just a dream that he would wake up from at any given second. When he looked at the pictures inside he almost fainted. Zhane quickly forced him to sit down on the ground while he slowly pried the necklace out of Andros' hands.

"Oh my god," Zhane gasped. In the necklace was a picture of Andros and Karone at the age of two and a picture of them with their new family. He passed the necklace on to his older brothers, letting them see what was in it. "Andros? Are you okay?"

"Is Astronama Karone?" he questioned, looking to his brother and best friend for an answer.

"I don't know, Andros," Zhane answered, "but we will find out." They teleported back to the Megaship and Zhane led Andros to his room. When he returned to the Bridge, he and his brothers were bombarded with questions.

"What so special about the necklace?" Rylan asked. While Akako threw in, "Who's Karone?"

"Karone is Andros' twin sister," Zarkin answered simply. "She was kidnapped when they were five. They both had the necklaces before they came to live with us but our parents added the one of the whole family. Of course, finding this is leading Andros to believe that Astronama is Karone."

"I'm going to go talk to him," Akako stated suddenly. Before anyone could stop her she was on the Megalift. Zarkin, Bryce, Zhane, and Rylan could only hope that their talk would go well.

Akako walked slowly down the corridor. She wasn't entirely sure what had possessed her to want to talk to Andros. She was very aware of his attraction towards her but wasn't sure what to think all the times he had yelled at her. It wasn't until Zhane explained that she reminded Andros of someone that he would rather forget that she had dismissed the idea that he hated her. Was Karone that someone? Akako stopped suddenly, realizing that she was in front of the Red Ranger's quarters. She raised her hand to knock but the door slid open before she did so.

"Akako," Andros began, and she could hear the tears in his voice, "I need to tell you something." He motioned for her to enter his room and sit beside him on the bed. As she did so he continued, "Karone is my twin sister; she was kidnapped five years ago. The reason I've been so hard on you is because you remind me so much of her and I don't want anyone to take her place in my heart." He stopped and took a deep breath before looking deeply into her eyes. "As hard as I've tried I've fallen in love with you. I know I'm only ten, but I know this is love. I would love to pursue a relationship with you but if you don't feel the same way I understand."

"Andros," she stated, once she was sure he was finished, "I've loved you since the moment I met you. I thought for the longest time that you hated me but now I understand and I promise you, we will find Karone, whether she's Astronama or someone else halfway across the galaxy." Akako leaned in slowly giving Andros more than enough time to pull away but he surprised her by meeting her halfway. Their first kiss was gentle but held many promises for the future.

A/N: Please Review!


	12. Ch 12 Come Back to Me

Disclaimer: As much as I would like for it to be, Power Rangers is not my creation.

_Slytherin-Angel44: Here's more!_

_Phantom Rogue: He's very special._

_PernDragonrider: You're welcome. Hope you enjoy the rest._

Ch. 12 Come Back to Me

As the night wore on Andros bounced many ideas off Akako, trying to figure out the best way to get Karone to trust them. It wasn't until the early hours of the morning that she was able to lure him to sleep. She had suggested that he lay down because his continuous pacing was making her dizzy. Once his head had landed on her lap he had to fight off a wave of sleep. Akako had simply begun to rub circles on his back when she had noticed he had fully relaxed. She glanced down and was pleased to see he was asleep. She debated getting out of the bed but when she moved Andros tightened his grip on her and she decided to stay.

When he first awoke he was aware that he was holding on to someone. He turned his head slightly and saw Akako, the night before slowly returning to him. Andros couldn't help the smile that formed on his face. At least he knew she cared. As she began to wake up he couldn't help but wish they could spend the rest of their life just like this.

"Andros?" she whispered, as though she was afraid of waking him.

"I'm awake," he answered and he heard her sigh. "What is it?"

"It's already ten and you know everyone else is already awake," she replied and it was his turn to sigh. Of course he didn't want to hide his relationship with Akako, but it was still so knew to him that he was afraid of admitting it.

"They're going to find out anyway," Andros stated. "I'd rather it came from us." Akako nodded and they went to find the other rangers.

"Well, where have you two been?" Zhane asked, raising his eyebrows slightly at Andros' relaxed posture.

"We're dating," he replied simply, pulling out a chair at the table for Akako, "and we think we might have a way of getting Karone back." At his teammates' as well as his parents' questioning looks he continued, "I give her the necklace back and show her mine. She's always said something about me destroying her family but if she sees that I'm the same age she'll know she's been lied to." Everyone nodded in agreement but then Zhane had a question.

"Wait, we're supposed to let you go to talk to Astronama alone?" Andros nodded, but inside he was feeling just as nervous as everyone else. If this didn't work who knew what would happen. "Alright, but I still don't like it." After they finished eating they went to the Bridge to send a message to the Dark Fortress. They got a reply rather quickly but only Andros was allowed to view it.

"Red Ranger, meet me on Onyx," Astronama began, "we will discuss everything there." As the screen in front of him went dark he knew that this was going to be very dangerous. Onyx was one of the most feared planets in the universe.

"DECA, destroy the message," Andros ordered. "And erase it from your memory banks." Although she blinked at his he knew that she wouldn't do either and that she would be keeping a very close eye on him during this meeting. "Tell everyone to come back in here." When the other rangers and his parents entered the room he explained, "We have set up a place to meet and I'll be back soon."

Zel and Katerina pulled him into a hug while she whispered, "Be careful and bring her back." Andros only nodded receiving hugs from his brothers and Akako. He disappeared in a flash of red and all they could do was wait.

Andros arrived on Onyx thirty minutes later and waited patiently for his sister to arrive. A sudden movement behind him caught his eye and he turned to see Ecliptor and Astronama standing there. He instinctively dropped into a fighting stance but stood as they both shook their heads.

"What did you want to talk about?" Astronama asked taking a seat on a nearby bench.

Andros joined her a moment later and passed her the necklace before answering, "I think that you may be my sister Karone." He opened up his own necklace and showed her the pictures inside it. Her eyes grew larger as she studied the pictures closely as if to insure they were indeed the same.

"That means you're as old as I am," she thought aloud and he nodded. "You couldn't have destroyed my family." Andros nodded again as tears began to flow down her face. "I knew you, the Silver Ranger, the Blue Ranger, and the Black Ranger seemed familiar."

"We're all your brothers," he answered simply, praying that he was truly getting through to her. Suddenly, she turned on Ecliptor.

"Why did you lie to me!" she screamed. "I trusted you!" She looked at Andros again before waving a hand in front of her face and turning into someone who looked more like his sister. "I'm coming with you if that's okay."

"No, you're not," a voice stated in the darkness. "You will not disobey our master." Darkonda jumped out and was gone with her before either Andros or Ecliptor could react.

"I'll bring her back to you," Ecliptor stated before disappearing. Andros could only hope he was being truthful as he returned sadly to the Megaship.

As soon as he materialized he was bombarded with questions, "Where is she? What happened? Did she believe you?" It wasn't until he demorphed and they saw the tears that their questions stopped.

Katerina wrapped her arms tightly around him as he whimpered, "Darkonda took her back. She believed me and I let her down again."

"It's okay," she whispered as she slowly rocked him back and forth, "we'll get her back." The rest of the family and Akako gathered around and hugged Andros, trying to make him believe that it would all be alright.

A/N: Please Review!


	13. Ch 13 Switching Sides

Disclaimer: As much as I would like for it to be, Power Rangers is not my creation.

_Slytherin-Angel44: Here's a little of what happens to her._

_PernDragonrider: Here's more._

_Jessica01: But will they keep her?_

Ch. 13 Switching Sides

It didn't take long for Andros to fall asleep in his mother's arms. Zel had carried him to the room he and Zhane shared ordering DECA to keep an eye on him. When he returned he found his other three sons playing with their little sister, who was now five years old.

Upon noticing her father's return she jumped up, ran over to him, and asked, "Daddy, why Andros sad?" Zel took her into his arms placing a kiss on the top of her head.

"Because some bad people were mean to your sister, Karone," he replied. Andros had made sure that Kilee had known Karone, telling her stories and showing her pictures. She nodded, obviously happy with the answer and squirmed to be put down. She returned to the stack of toys in the corner while his sons came over to talk to him.

"Do you think he'll be okay?" Zhane asked, obviously needing a little reassurance.

"I'm sure he will be," Zel answered. "But it will happen even faster if we do get Karone back."

As if on cue DECA interrupted, "Rangers, there's an incoming message from the Dark Fortress."

"Open a link!" Zarkin ordered. When he saw who was on the screen he added sarcastically, "What do you want?"

"Where is the Red Ranger?" Ecliptor questioned, ignoring the tone of the Blue Ranger. "I promised I would return his sister."

"Where is she?" a tired voice asked from the doorway. They all turned to see Andros standing there close to the point of collapse.

"I will meet you in the forest in an hour," the villain replied and the screen went dark.

"Andros," Akako began gently, "one of us is going with you."

Before he could interrupt, Katerina added, "Either someone else goes with you or you won't go at all." Andros only nodded, upset that his mother wouldn't let him go by himself.

"Fine, but whoever it is will have to hide," he replied.

"I'll go," Zhane volunteered, knowing that Andros would rather have him along on this trip. The hour passed slowly for the brothers as they waited in the forest for Ecliptor to show up. When he did he had an unconscious Karone in his arms. "What happened to her?" He grabbed Andros just as he made a move at Ecliptor.

"Dark Specter didn't take her slight betrayal lightly," he explained. "She wasn't hurt severely, just some minor cuts and bruises. You should be able to care for her now." He transferred Karone slowly into Andros' arms before disappearing in a flash of light.

"DECA, teleport three to the Med Bay!" Andros commanded, making sure to keep a firm grasp on Karone. When they arrived on the ship Andros placed Karone on one of the beds and began scanning her for injuries. "DECA, please tell everyone we have returned." Zhane could hear the emotion in his voice but wasn't sure whether to be scared or relieved. As everyone pilled into the room Zhane decided to take charge.

"She doesn't have any major injuries," he explained, keeping a close eye on Andros. "She should wake up in a couple of hours." Andros pulled up a chair and sat beside the bed, grasping Karone's hand with both of his. "Andros, why don't you get some more sleep? I'll come get you as soon as something changes."

"I'm not leaving her again," he stated, looking around the room at everyone. "I'm not leaving her." Even his parents didn't bother to argue, knowing that no matter what Andros would stay by his sister's side.

"You can stay," Katerina allowed, "but if you don't get enough to eat or enough sleep, you will not stay in here."

Three hours later Andros was asleep in the bed next to Karone's, sleeping better than he had in a long time. It was when he felt a hand on his shoulder that he jerked awake. He smiled when he saw Karone and she smiled back.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, jumping off his bed. "Do you need anything? Something to eat? Drink?" He stopped when she placed her hand over his mouth.

"Be quiet," she ordered, although her smile took away most of the affect. "I'm fine, but I want to get out of this room and these clothes." She looked in disgust at her torn clothes and looked hopefully at her brother.

"Come on," he began, taking her hand and leading her out of the room, "I do have clothes for you, but you'll have to share a room with the girls until we can clean out another room."

"That's fine," she answered, "I'd rather share a room anyway." They walked down the halls quietly, hoping to surprise everyone else, especially their parents.

A/N: Please Review!


	14. Ch 14 Reunion

Disclaimer: As much as I would like for it to be, Power Rangers is not my creation.

_Slytherin-Angel44: Here's another chapter._

_Star Fata: Thanks._

_Jessica01: Hope you're excited about this one too._

_PernDragonrider: There will be several more plot twist along the way._

Ch. 14 Reunion

As the siblings approached the Bridge they could hear mixed conversations, none of them making very much sense. Andros held a finger up to his lips, signaling her to be quiet. Everyone had their backs turned towards the door which gave them the perfect opportunity to scare them. Although they were very mature for their age they just couldn't resist the urge to be a little mean. They snuck up slowly behind their parents and grabbed them both in a big hug.

"What the…," Zel began only to turn around and Andros and Karone behind them. "Are you trying to kill us?" They shook their heads as their parents pulled them into a tighter hold. When they pulled away Andros could see the tears pouring down his mother's face.

"Karone!" Kilee shrieked happily, running over to her siblings. Karone picked up her little sister and spun her around. "Now, I'm not the only girl."

"You're right," Karone stated, "and I'm not every going to leave you again." Zel and Katerina couldn't help but smile at the sight as their other children joined the group. Finally, their family was whole again.

Months passed and no major attacks came from Dark Specter, not even any attempts to get Karone back. Once the Kerovian leaders were sure that Dark Specter wasn't going to take Karone they offered her the morpher that was meant for her. With seven rangers they felt almost unbeatable but their parents as well as everyone else made sure they knew the truth, no one is unbeatable. As Karone became more and more a part of the team Akako and Rylan began to trust her even more. In the beginning, they had been for the other rangers, especially Andros, but now were beginning to see that Karone could be trusted.

Andros and Akako's relationship became more serious as time passed. They would go out on dates almost every night and Andros was becoming sure that she was his one true love. While his siblings were happy for him they desperately wished that he would spend more time with them, celebrating everything that was happening for them. One night after they had returned home from a date Zhane had cornered Akako about their concerns.

"It's not that we're not happy for him," he explained, "we'd just like to have him to ourselves sometimes."

"No problem," Akako answered, much to Zhane's surprise. "I think were moving a little too fast. I'm just not sure how to break this to him."

"Just tell him the truth," Zhane told her. "He doesn't like to be lied to." The next morning Zhane was surprised to wake up to a small breakfast sat up in his and Andros' room. He smiled at the sight of his little brother carrying a tray that looked like it weighed more than him. "Let me help," he offered but Andros shrugged him off.

"No," he had stated, "I'm going to do this myself." About ten minutes later he had a meal set up for their entire family. "Don't eat anything until I get back," he warned, running out of their room to get the rest of their family. Zhane had known better than to push his luck so he had settled for get dressed and waiting for everyone to return.

"What's the hurry, Andros?" Zarkin asked, sleepily.

"You'll see in a minute," the young boy answered, leading his family back to his room. When he opened the door he was happy to see that Zhane had followed his instructions and was also happy at the surprised looks on everyone else's faces. "I hope you like it."

"You did all this yourself?" his mother questioned and he shrugged.

"DECA helped a little," he answered, shyly motioning for them to go into the room. "I'm sorry I've been ignoring you lately. I'll try to do better."

"It's okay, Andros," Katerina stated pulling her youngest son into a hug.

"Yeah, we'll forgive you this once, shorty," Zarkin added, pretending to be upset but smiling widely. They all took a seat around the table and began eating the delicious breakfast that had been prepared for them. As they ate conversations started mostly about what had happened since Karone's disappearance since she didn't know. By the end of their meal they had covered almost every detail that had happened in the past six years.

"There's a monster attacking," DECA interrupted, hating to end their time together but knowing that the rangers were needed.

"Back to work," Zhane stated wearily as they headed for the jumptubes to once again stop evil from destroying their planet.

A/N: I know it's short but it had to be. Please Review!


	15. Ch 15 More Attacks

Disclaimer: As much as I would like for it to be, Power Rangers is not my creation.

_PernDragonrider: You still have awhile before the story will be finished. I just hope you'll like it all._

_Jessica01: This one is longer, just a little longer, but longer. The next two or three should be a lot longer than these. _

_Slytherin-Angel44: He is sweet, but this story is about to take a turn for the worst._

Ch. 15 More Attacks

Two years passed quickly and to the rangers' surprise Dark Specter had yet to make any move to take Karone back. Although the attacks were becoming more and more frequent, the rangers were having more and more fun. With seven rangers monsters were falling faster than ever and Dark Specter had yet to adjust his evil plan. While the rangers knew that he was probably using this to find a weakness within their team it seemed that it wouldn't be happening for some time.

At the moment the rangers were enjoying a nice, quiet lunch, free of parents. While they all loved their parents dearly sometimes it was just too much to have them know all their business. Just as their food was about to arrive, their morphers sounded.

"What is it, Commander?" Andros questioned as politely as he could.

"Dark Specter is attacking the Academy!" he yelled frantically. "You must hurry!"

"Let's go!" Andros commanded and they rushed to the Academy. When they arrived they were stunned to see the outrageous numbers that Dark Specter had sent, not to attack them but their parents. Andros, Karone, Zhane, Zarkin, and Bryce barely managed to see their parents being escorted to safety, giving them the ability to help the other rangers and trainees save theirs. With Zhane watching his back, Andros scanned the grounds for Akako, hoping that she had been able to locate her parents. He spotted her not far from their position but she was on her knees. "Akako!" Zhane held back the Quantrons and monsters trying to go after Andros giving his the time he needed to get to his girlfriend's side.

At the sight of the blood Andros barely managed to keep himself from passing out. As he looked at Akako's shaking hands he could tell she was going to. She was trying hard to force air back into her father's body and as much as it broke his heart Andros had to pull her away. She fought at first but then let herself be pulled to him. She was so distraught that she didn't even realize when he teleported them to the Megaship. He placed her gently on one of the medical beds and gave her a sedative. He then pulled the covers up to her chin and turned to leave again. As much as he hated leaving her like this he knew he had to help the others and hopefully find Akako's mother.

When he returned to the surface he was surprised to see that the fight was over but the sight of dead bodies took away that surprise. All around him children and teenagers were crying over their parents bodies and it made him sick that he knew his parents were still very much alive. Why hadn't such measures been taken to protect all the parents? Why was it only for his? What had he done to deserve to be so lucky? He would have gladly taken the place of any of the children in front of him, knowing that they would never understand why this had happened. It wasn't until he felt several sets of hands on his shoulders that he realized he had almost fallen over.

"Come on," Zhane whispered in his ear, putting his arm over his shoulder for support. Andros shrugged off his brother's arm and pulled away knowing that he had to find the rest of Akako's family before she woke up. "Where are you going?"

"I have to find the rest of her family," he answered, paying little attention to the other rangers around him. "She's already lost her father, I have to go…" He stopped rambling only when he heard a familiar voice behind him.

"I'm dead am I?" a weak voice asked behind him. He turned to see Akako's father on a stretcher and the rest of her family surrounding him. "I'll be fine, but I do appreciate you taking care of my daughter."

"I'm sorry," Andros apologized. "I really though you were dead and I thought it would be best to take her back to the Megaship."

"It was," Alejandro stated, smiling at the young man in front of him. When the paramedics returned he added, "When she wakes up just bring her to the hospital." Andros nodded and watched as they took him away in an ambulance.

"What's going to happen to all these children?" Andros asked.

"Kinwon said he's going to keep them all here," Zhane answered, moving forward to support his brother once again. "Come on, let's get you back to the ship." When they materialized in the Med Bay Akako was just beginning to wake up.

"Dad!" she screamed making a move to run from the room.

"He's fine, Akako," Andros whispered gently, pulling her into his arms. "They took him to the hospital but he looked like he was going to be okay."

"Really?" she questioned, not believing that Andros would dare lie to her.

He nodded and added, "He wanted you to come see him after you woke up."

"Let's go!" Akako yelled, jumping off the bed, pulling him along behind her, and Andros just had to smile.

A/N: Please Review!


	16. Ch 16 Losing Faith

Disclaimer: As much as I would like for it to be, Power Rangers is not my creation.

_Star Fata: Hope you like this one._

_Slytherin-Angel44: Yeah it is sad. Andros is meant to be with Ashley but his relationship with Akako will continue for a little longer._

_Jessica01: They're not safe for long._

Ch. 16 Losing Faith

The year went on for what seemed like forever for the seven rangers. Attacks on the Academy became an everyday thing. The students there that weren't rangers quickly left with their parents, hoping that maybe the attacks would be less somewhere else, and then the attacks stopped. Andros knew, now from experience, that this meant Dark Specter was planning something big and he had a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach. He put it of as nerves, telling himself that his team would be able to take whatever Dark Specter threw at them but deep down he knew it was a lie.

Months passed without so much as a Quantron attack and the rangers finally began to let themselves relax, all except for Andros. His parents had decided to take them all out on a fun-filled day hoping that their youngest son would have some fun again. It was on this fun-filled day that their lives came crashing down. It had started out fine and they were having fun. Even Andros was beginning to join in, chasing his brothers and sisters, little did they know they were being watched. From high above the planet Dark Specter looked on at the almost perfect sight. All the rangers were present but somehow it just didn't seem like destroying the rangers without making them suffer was unfair so he set his sights on a new target, the parents of five of them, maybe even kidnap the youngest one, she shouldn't be much trouble. As he formulated his plan up above, Andros' strange feeling was resurfacing.

"Are you okay?" Zhane asked when Andros suddenly stopped playing with them.

"I just have a weird feeling," he answered. "Something bad's going to happen." Just as the words left his mouth there were explosions all around them. They all fell to the ground, momentarily shocked. When they recovered the rangers ran to protect Zel, Katerina, and Kilee. "Are you three okay?" He noticed that Kilee had a nasty cut on her forehead and he took action. "DECA, teleport Kilee to the Med Bay immediately." He turned to his parents and added, "You should go too."

"No," Zel stated, "we're going to help you." Andros knew better than to argue with his parents and quickly joined the fight with the other rangers. Zel and Katerina also joined in the fight. While they were older they had also been raised in the Ranger Academy and had learned to fight while there. Watching them fight from the distance was a shadow, waiting for the perfect time to execute its master's orders. From above Dark Specter watched with a growing smile. Soon he would have all the control over the rangers, they would be pawns in his hands and he would use them to destroy their planet as well as each other.

"Don't worry about the little girl," he commanded the shadow. "We'll let them keep her for now." The shadow advanced waiting for its command to attack. "Just a little longer." Dark Specter had to laugh at the sight. The rangers were fighting their hearts out and all the while it was a simple shadow that was going to be their downfall. He waited until it seemed Zel and Katerina were worn down from the fight, knowing that the rangers were paying little attention to the action behind them. "Now!" The shadow lurched out from behind a nearby tree and quickly knocked out both adults. It drug them into a pile of bushes before the rangers could notice their disappearance and teleported them back to its master's ship. "Well done, now return to the darkness. Now all we have to do is wait."

The rangers looked around in shock as the monsters and minions around them simply disappeared. They demorphed and then turned around to find Zel and Katerina missing. Andros began to panic; he had told them that they should go with Kilee. He had known they didn't belong in the fight and now they were probably in danger because of him.

"Andros," Karone began, trying to ease her brother's worries, "I bet they just went to the Megaship to check on Kilee. Come on, let's go see." Andros nodded and although he didn't agree with his sister he prayed that she was right, he didn't want to cause anyone else to lose their parents. When they arrived on the ship Kilee was beginning to wake up but there was no sign of their parents.

"Mommy?" Kilee asked as she slowly opened her eyes.

"It's me, Kilee," Andros whispered as he drew the covers back over her small form. "Why don't you go back to sleep and I'll go get mom, okay?" She nodded, her eyes already closed and she was quickly on her way back to dreamland. He signaled for them to leave the room. "DECA, tell us when she wakes up." The AI blinked at his request but other wise stayed quiet. The rangers headed for the Bridge and began searching for traces of Zel and Katerina.

"I've got them," Akako announced a little over an hour later, "but something's not right."

"What is it?" Andros questioned as he and his siblings gathered around her.

"I'm not detecting any life signatures," she whispered. It didn't take anything more to send the siblings to find their parents. They rushed to the park where Akako had located them and saw a shadow over their parents.

"Leave them alone!" Andros screamed, running towards them. When he got closer he could see the paleness of his parents' faces and he began to feel sick. The shadow only laughed and disappeared as Andros dropped to his knees along side his parents. "Dad? Mom? Please wake up." Tears were now pouring down his face as his siblings came forward and pulled him away. He fought their grasp at first but soon gave in to his ill feeling and began throwing up. His brothers help him up while Karone held back his hair. While they all felt the same as he did they knew it would hit him the hardest.

"Let's get back to the ship," Zarkin commanded, glancing over his shoulder once more at his parents' bodies.

A/N: Please Review!


	17. Ch 17 Denial

Disclaimer: As much as I would like for it to be, Power Rangers is not my creation.

_Slytherin-Angel44: Yeah, it gets worse._

_Jessica01: It is very sad._

Ch. 17 Denial

Almost a week had passed since Zel and Katerina's deaths but their children were still feeling a lot of pain, worst of all Andros. While Kinwon had made every arrangement for them to see Dr. B, she just couldn't seem to get through to Andros, it was like he was on a completely different planet. They had continued fighting because they had to, they didn't want anyone else to die. Little did they know one of their own was very close to it.

Andros snuck quietly through the corridors of the Megaship, right to the Med Bay. He had commanded DECA to go off-line every night for the past week at the same time, right after everyone else was in bed asleep. He rummaged through the contents of the drawers looking for his next fix. He knew that taking these drugs was a bad idea, but it was the only way he could work through the pain. Sometimes it even helped him get some sleep.

'And not eating isn't the best idea,' he decided as his stomach once again threatened to empty the few bites and drinks he had that day. He managed to keep it down though swallowing the three white pills in his hand. No one knew what he was doing and he planned to keep it that way. He always had food in his hand at the right time and by the time the others woke up the major effects of the drugs had worn off, he just hoped he could keep it that way.

He made his way back to the Bridge and pulled up screens of his sleeping siblings. After a moment his eyes fell on his youngest sister, who was now sleeping in the room he shared with his brothers. Ever since they had explained to her that their parents weren't coming back she wouldn't sleep in her own room or even with Karone. That's what had led to Andros and Karone moving into another room. As he watched his siblings sleep he could only pray that he was strong enough to keep them all safe because he knew he couldn't live without them. Andros turned away from the screen then, tears pouring down his face, as he tried to concentrate on the drugs numbing all his pain.

Several weeks passed and the other rangers were noticing changes in Andros' attitude. He had become cold and distant, even from Akako, and he was beginning to spend more and more time alone. As much as they asked DECA she didn't have an answer. She had been programmed to go off-line and there was nothing she could do about it. They had confided in Dr. B, asking her if she could try to find out what was wrong with their leader, but she couldn't. All his symptoms seemed to be the same as an young child going through grieving and though she also felt there was more behind it she had no proof. It was then that the rangers decided that they were tired of the lies and that they were going to find out what was going on.

They all took turns staying up each night and watching Andros' movements. It wasn't until Zhane's night that they found out the truth. Zhane had decided to take a different approach than the others. Instead of deliberately following Andros around he hid out in his room and used DECA's eyes to see what was going on. When he saw Andros going to the Med Bay he waited but as soon as the pills came out he rushed down the corridors until he was standing toe to toe with his best friend and brother.

"What do you think you're doing?" he asked, taking the pill bottle. When Andros just stared at his feet Zhane took a hold of his shoulders and gave him a good shake. "Answer me!"

"I don't deserve to live, okay?" Andros answered. "I just don't deserve to." Tears began to run down his face as he dropped to his knees.

"DECA, wake the other," Zhane commanded as he sunk down to the ground beside Andros and pulled him into his lap. He wasn't surprised at how light his brother was, he had a suspicion that this problem also had something to do with starvation. The other rangers were at their sides within minutes and their brothers and sisters quickly joined their hug.

"What's going on?" Zarkin asked after Andros had calmed down. He looked back and forth between his two brothers several time before spotting the pill bottle in Zhane's hands. "Andros, you're not…" he couldn't find the words to finish the question but Zhane's nod was all the assurance he needed. "We're taking you to Dr. B," he stated, taking over as their father would had.

"I'm fine," Andros whispered, attempting to rise from the floor only to collapse.

"No, you're not," Karone stated. "We're taking you to the hospital whether you like it or not." Andros knew better than to argue with his sister and allowed himself to be lifted off the floor and supported by his brothers. As they walked from the room they all knew this was the beginning of a very long journey.

A/N: Please Review!


	18. Ch 18 Saving Andros

Disclaimer: As much as I would like for it to be, Power Rangers is not my creation.

_PernDragonrider: Glad you like it._

_Star Fata: Here's more._

_Jessica01: You'll find out in this chapter why she didn't see it._

_Slytherin-Angel44: Actually it gets better for him over the course of the nect couple of chapters but then it goes down hill again._

Ch. 18 Saving Andros

When they arrived at the hospital Andros was immediately placed in a room while the rangers contacted Dr. B. She arrived quickly and quickly went to find Andros. The rangers were told it would take a while to break his dependency on the drugs, although it wasn't as severe as most of the cases they usually saw. Weeks passed and while no attacks were made from Dark Specter several were coming from within their own team. None of them could see how they missed this problem but even Dr. B had missed it because of the act Andros had used. All the doctors would ever tell them was it would take some time, but time was beginning to run out.

When Andros woke up he found himself in a secluded room with no other patient, seeing his ranger status. It was now that Andros wished he was just another teenager. He knew what he was doing was wrong, he knew that what had happened to his parents wasn't his fault but somehow his heart refused to believe it. The little voice in the back of his head would always say he was no good, that he deserved everything that was happening, that everyone would be better off without him. He looked over at his left arm which was tied to the bed, as was his right, with an I.V. forcing food and fluids into his body and wished for away to tear it out. The doctors had though ahead, placing a telekinesis block around his head so he wouldn't be able to use his talent to get away. He looked up, startled as the door to his room opened, but anger filled his mind when he saw Dr. B standing there. Why he was mad at her he didn't know. Maybe, it was because she loved him so much or maybe it was because she was unable to read what was going on with him so easily this time. As he thought about it, it wasn't really her fault. He had overheard Zhane making the appointment with her and he had made sure he was clean before he had gone that way it seemed like it was only grief.

"Can I come in?" she asked from the doorway, breaking him away from his thoughts. He looked at her closely, the saddened look in her eyes making his heart ache. She was sad for him and yet he was mad at her? What kind of sense did that make? Andros slowly nodded his head and watched carefully as she approached.

"I guess you have your hunch figured out, uh?" he questioned.

"Yeah," she answered, "I do. I just wish I would've seen it sooner."

"It's not your fault," he found himself responding although for the past several weeks he had felt nothing but hate towards her and all the other doctors that had been trying to help him. "I heard Zhane make the appointment, I made sure I wasn't high." He heard her sniffle at his side and he reached for her hand the best he could. As he looked at her tears began to roll down his face as well. "What's wrong?"

"I did this same thing when my parents died," she whispered quietly. "And I don't know why I didn't see it."

"You did this?" Andros questioned. "Why?"

"Same reason you did," she replied, wiping away both their tears. "I thought I deserved to die. That everyone else would be better off without me around."

He looked at her then and whispered the only thing he knew was true at that very minute, "I'm scared."

"So are your siblings," Dr. B stated. "Their worried about you. They almost lost their parents and their brother."

"How do I make it up to them?" he asked, looking to her for guidance.

"You can't," she answered truthfully, "but you can get better and start repairing things little by little."

"I want to see them," he replied, hoping that they would allow him to see the only family he had left. Dr. B nodded and left the room. It seemed like hours to Andros but it was actually only a matter of minutes before his brothers and Karone walked into the room. After a short list of precautions they were allowed to see him but the doctors believed they should wait with Kilee a bit longer. The siblings sat in silence for several minutes, the others not wanting to say anything that may upset Andros and Andros not wanting to make them any madder. "I'm sorry," he whispered after what seemed like an eternity to all of them.

"And you should be," Zhane replied sternly. "Why wouldn't you talk to us? Kilee thinks you're mad at her because of the way you've been acting lately and she doesn't need that. She's barely old enough to understand what's going on with Mom and Dad without you adding to it."

"I'm sorry," he repeated, this time more softly, almost afraid that it would set of his other siblings.

"Zhane's right," Karone added after a moment, "you should be, but we're going to get through this and we'll be okay." Andros smiled at his sister, thankful that at least she seemed to be a little on his side. His brothers soon added their agreement but Zhane remained silent.

"Zhane, I…" he stopped as his best friend pulled him into a fierce hug.

"Don't you ever do anything this stupid again, do you understand?" Zhane demanded as he gave Andros a good shake. "If I want you dead, I'll kill you." They all shared a good and very needed laugh.

"So, how long until I get out of here?" Andros asked and everyone fell silent. "Well?"

"We voted," Zarkin began, looking around for help. When no one volunteered he continued, "You can come home anytime but you're not going to be doing any ranger duties until the doctors know you're better."

As Andros prepared to argue Karone interrupted, "You can either take this deal or stay here until the say you can go."

"Alright," Andros replied, not happy with not being able to keep himself busy with work but he knew deep down that this was what he needed. "Let's go home."

A/N: Please Review!


	19. Ch 19 Showing Love

Disclaimer: As much as I would like for it to be, Power Rangers is not my creation.

_Slytherin-Angel44: Yeah, it's going to be a roller coaster. Some good, some bad, but I hope you like it._

Ch. 19 Showing Love

Two years had passed since Andros' little drug problem and the team was now stronger than ever. He had followed the doctors' orders when he had been released from the hospital, he even went to his weekly visits with Dr. B. It wasn't long before the rangers saw the real Andros coming back. He was back to having fun with them, playing with Kilee and creating mischief with Zhane. He and Akako had also become more serious. A few months after she had turned eighteen he had asked her to marry him. Being fifteen she had thought it was a joke but when Andros had pulled a ring from his pocket she couldn't help but say yes. They had agreed to wait until he had turned at least sixteen before having the wedding seeing as though on KO-35 sixteen was when you became an adult.

At the moment the two lovebirds were sitting on the Observatory, watching the stars pass overhead, although neither of them was paying much attention to the stars. Andros would sneak glances at her every now and then but as soon as she looked at him he would turn his gaze back to the stars.

"Andros?" she questioned, taking his hand in hers. When he finally looked at her she grinned and stated, "I'm tired of looking at these boring, old stars."

"But they're not boring," he argued but was silenced when she pressed her lips to his. "Or maybe they are." He closed his eyes as she kissed him again and his mind shut down completely. It wasn't long before they were to the point of losing clothes and he groaned as she pulled away from him.

"You know," she began, tugging him to his feet, "it might be better if we went somewhere a little more private." Andros allowed himself to be led to Akako's room and forced onto her bed.

"Are you sure about this?" he found himself asking. As she nodded his anxiety grew, he wasn't sure he was ready for this but with the way she was kissing him he wasn't sure he would be able to put up much of a fight. He pushed her away just as her hands found there way under his shirt. "I can't do this." He didn't wait for her response, he just ran from the room and teleported to an abandoned tree house that he and his brothers had played in when they were younger. It wasn't long before Zhane showed up to see what was going on.

"Akako's worried about you," Zhane stated as he sat down beside him. "She wouldn't tell us what was going on. Why'd you run?"

"I'm not ready to…" Andros couldn't find the words but Zhane understood. Zhane had thought that Akako wouldn't push Andros until he was ready but maybe he was wrong. "She wanted to but I couldn't and I just ran. I couldn't explain it to her."

"I think she already understands, Andros," his best friend replied. "But it wouldn't hurt for you to talk to her. She'll wait until you're ready." They sat in silence for several minutes before Andros began to relax. "Now, let's get back to the ship. This place creeps me out at night." Andros only nodded in agreement and the two made their way back to the Megaship.

Later that night, Andros finally got up the nerve to go and talk to Akako. He had sat in room for several hours rehearsing what he was going to say and finally though he had the right words to explain himself. He had asked DECA if Akako was asleep and was pleased to find that she wasn't. He knocked softly on the door and was surprised when the door automatically slid open.

"It's about time," Akako stated. "I was starting to think I really scared you off."

"I'm not ready to take that step, Akako," Andros stuttered quickly, completely forgetting what he had planned on saying. "I thought I was, but I'm just not."

"I kind of figured that one out when you ran," she replied with a smile. "It's fine, Andros. I'll wait until you're ready." Andros let out a relieved sigh and pulled Akako into his arms.

"Can I stay in here tonight?" he questioned softly. Akako nodded, seeing as though Rylan was spending the night with her parents and they got ready for a good nights rest.

Three months had passed since their little accident and the attacks from Dark Specter had quickly become more and more demanding. With each fight the rangers were losing more and more hope. Andros tried to keep the team thinking positively, but the truth was they were slowly losing. It was then that he knew he was ready to take that step. With the possibility of either of them dying in the next fight or ten fights down the road Andros knew it was pretty much now or never and he wanted to make sure Akako knew just how much she meant to him.

After a very intense battle the day after his epiphany Andros invited Akako to spend the night in his room since he had been pretty much hogging hers every night Rylan wasn't around. Karone was now sharing the room with the rest of his siblings leaving him with his own room. When she arrived that night Andros told her how he felt.

"I can't help but wonder what would happen if one of us was killed," he began his voice nothing more than a whisper, but he forced himself to continue, "I don't want to wait until it's too late." With that he pulled Akako into a passionate kiss. He didn't stop her this time when her hands slid under his shirt nor did he stop her when she tugged it over his head, tonight was the night and he was no longer scared.

In the early hours of the morning Andros woke to find his arms securely around the waist of his fiancée and he smiled. As he laid there he couldn't help but hope there would be several more nights like this for Akako and him, especially after they were married. When he finally did fall asleep only good dreams came to him.

A/N: Please Review!


	20. Ch 20 Little Miracle

Disclaimer: As much as I would like for it to be, Power Rangers is not my creation.

_Slytherin-Angel44: This is the last happy chapter for a while._

_Star Fata: You're right, he is better off with Ashley but he still loves Akako._

Ch. 20 Little Miracle

Akako looked at the doctor in absolute shock. She had come in today for her scheduled check-up and she gets news like this. Sure she and Andros had been sleeping together but they had never discussed this.

"Are you alright?" the doctor questioned, holding onto Akako's shoulders in case she were to pass out. Akako nodded her head a little although she really wasn't alright. What was she going to do if Andros didn't want a child? How was she going to fight? What would her parents think? "I think he'll love the news, Akako," Dr. Silverman whispered. She had known Andros for years and considering she was the only doctor at the Academy she spent a lot of time with the rangers. "But you have to tell him. Don't keep it a secret or it'll hurt him." Akako nodded and slowly stood from the bed. "Now, I want to see you again in three months and no fighting."

Akako walked out of the doctor's office a little more positive than she had been when she had first been told about the miracle she was carrying. Hopefully Andros would be as excited as she was now. Plus this would give them an excuse to move up their wedding date, something both of them had wanted to do for a long time. As she teleported back to the Megaship she was worried she had made a mistake but Dr. Silverman hadn't said anything about teleporting had she? No, Akako decided and she resumed her search for Andros. She figured that it would be a lot easier to tell the others once Andros knew and would be by her side. She found him in his room staring at a picture of his parents. She knew that it still hurt him and prayed for anyway to take his pain away but she knew she couldn't. It would hurt him every day of his life.

"Can I come in?" she asked quietly from the hallway. He nodded, immediately placing the picture back in the nightstand beside his bed. When he looked back at her he could tell that she was nervous about something, what he wasn't sure of, but he hoped it was nothing bad. "I have something I need to tell you."

"What?" he questioned, lifting her head up to look him in the eye. "You know you can tell me anything."

"I can't fight anymore," she stated, knowing that wasn't what she wanted to tell him but she was still scared of how he would react.

"Why can't you fight? Did Dr. Silverman tell you something was wrong? DECA, what's wrong with…" She cut him off by placing a finger over his lips with one hand while using that other to bring one of his hands to her stomach. "You're…pregnant." Akako nodded and Andros smiled broadly. "We're having a baby?"

"Yes," she answered. "I wanted to tell you first so we could tell everyone else together."

"What did she tell you exactly?" he asked, wanting to know every detail of her visit.

"Just that I couldn't fight and I go back in three months," she replied, smiling at his enthusiasm but when it began to fade she asked, "What's wrong?" He shrugged, ashamed of his own fear and suddenly Akako understood. "You're afraid you'll be like your father?" Andros nodded and she wrapped her arms around him. "You'll never be like him. If you are I'll be forced to hurt you." He couldn't help but smile and his enthusiasm returned. He'd be a better father than his father ever thought about being he'd be the greatest dad ever.

"Let's go tell the others," he whispered. "They'll be so surprised."

"I was surprised too," Akako replied and they both laughed, heading off hand in hand to find their friends. The other rangers were gathered on the Bridge doing their duties of the week. "We have some news. Meet us in Kinwon's office in ten minutes." They all nodded and the couple headed to the Commander's office. Once there Akako contacted her parents and asked them to come to hear some news.

When everyone arrived Andros took over, "Everyone sit down please." He looked over at Akako and added, "You too." She only nodded and took her seat somehow feeling that Andros wasn't going to let her do anything for the next nine months.

"So, what's this big news that woke me up from my nap?" Alejandro asked, although he was smiling widely.

"Well," Andros began, "Akako went to Dr. Silverman today for check-up and she found out something interesting." He looked over to her and she nodded.

"She told me that I wouldn't be fighting for at least the next nine months," Akako explained, leaving it to everyone to figure it out on their own.

"Nine months?" Aamirah questioned and then her eyes lit up. "Congratulations!" She ran over giving them both a huge hug while everyone else was still looking on in confusion. "She's pregnant!"

"Congratulations!" Everyone else added after her mother had spelled it out for them.

"Way to go, little brother," Zarkin stated, hugging his brother tightly.

"I can't believe you're going to be a dad," Karone stated as she hugged her brother. "You'll be a great one though."

"And you guys will be great aunts and uncles," Andros replied.

A/N: Please Review! It starts getting bad again in the next chapter.


	21. Ch 21 Two Down, Five to Go

Disclaimer: As much as I would like for it to be, Power Rangers is not my creation.

_Slytherin-Angel44: Yes, she is, but the good news is no one else dies. (Unless you count Zhane's little nap.)_

_Star Fata: Yeah, it's sad for the next five or six chapters but then things start to go good again._

Ch. 21 Two Down, Five to Go

Three months had passed since Akako had told everyone about her pregnancy and she had been completely correct when she had assumed that Andros wouldn't let her do anything. Today was her appointment with Dr. Silverman and they were supposed to learn the sex of their baby. Andros was nervous and it was obvious to everyone in the waiting room.

"You know, there's nothing to be worried about," Akako whispered in his ear and he jumped.

"I'm not worried," Andros lied but nodded only a second later. "I just want everything to be perfect and I can't guarantee that it will be." Akako was spared from having to come up with a reply when Dr. Silverman came to the door and called them back. Andros sat stiffly in the corner as he watched as Akako was examined, doing his best to look calm.

"Well," Dr. Silverman began, "everything's fine there. Now, do you want to know what the baby is or do you want to wait?"  
"What do you think, Andros?" Akako questioned, as Andros came to join her.

"I'd...Whatever you want," he answered, hoping that she hadn't caught the beginning of his statement but he knew she had.

"You'd what?" she replied, forcing him to look at her.

"I'd like to know," he whispered.

"We'd like to know then," Akako told the doctor. When the doctor left the room to gather the few supplies that she would need for the ultrasound Akako questioned, "Why were you so afraid to tell me that?"

"I don't know," Andros answered truthfully. He really didn't know why he had been afraid, they had made the decision weeks ago, but something just didn't feel right. "Something feels weird," he added, more to himself than to anyone else but he pushed it aside as Dr. Silverman reentered the room.

In a matter of ten minutes, Andros had become the happiest man alive. While he hadn't thought it would matter to him what the sex of the baby was now that he knew there was a smile plastered on his face. '_A boy,'_ he thought to himself. _'I'm going to have a little boy.'_

"Well, I see someone's happy," Akako stated from his side as he helped her up the ramp of the Megaship.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Andros replied, although he was still grinning widely. "You know, I really didn't think it would matter this much to me."

"I think you would've been just as happy with a girl," Akako added. "I think it's just knowing that makes a difference." Andros nodded and told DECA to have everyone meet them on the Bridge.

"Well, do you know what it is?" Zhane asked as he stepped onto the Bridge, no bothering to wait for anyone else.

"You know, Zhane, it's not nice to demand all the attention in the room," Andros addressed with a smile. Then he whispered just loud enough for everyone to hear, "I don't know what we'll do with him when this little one gets here."

"Hey!" Zhane yelled, as he pretended to pout around the room. When no one paid attention he asked again, "What's this baby going to be? And no matter what, I still think Zhane or Zhana will be perfect names." Everyone had a quick laugh before returning their attention to the couple in front of them, both expecting parents gleaming with pride.

"It's a boy," Andros stated excitedly, unable to keep it a secret any longer. They were soon surrounded by arms, congratulating them on their son, but the celebration was cut short by DECA.

"There are monsters attacking," the AI alerted and she watched as six of the seven rangers went into battle.

"Be careful," Akako cried after them, hoping her soon-to-be husband would be alive when their son was born. "DECA, put the fight on the viewing screen." The AI did as she was told although she had been commanded by Andros not to allow Akako to monitor any of the battles because DECA knew this was the only way to keep her from going to fight. It wasn't long before the rangers had the upper hand and while Akako was glad, her happiness melted away when she saw a small boy that had wondered onto the battlefield. "DECA, tell Andros he has to get that little boy." Just as Andros made a move to go to the little boy the rangers found themselves surrounded by monsters once again while Darkonda advanced on the little boy. Rylan was able to break away from the group and found herself face to face with Darkonda's sword and it wasn't long until her body was lying, bloody on the ground.

While the other rangers tried to fight their way to the little boy Akako had made a decision. As a superior ranger she overrode Andros orders for her to stay on the Megaship and went to save the little boy but she left her morpher behind. When she landed in front of Darkonda it took him by surprise that she wasn't morphed but he took advantage of the situation. With one forward thrust of his sword Akako laid on the ground bleeding severely from her abdomen. The monsters around the rangers disappeared and they rushed towards their fallen friend.

"Akako!" Andros yelled as he fell to his knees beside her. She opened her eyes and the look in them told Andros she knew she was going to die. "It's going to be okay. We'll get you to the hospital. You and our son will be fine."

"No, Andros," she whispered. "I'm not going to make it. I love you. Please be strong enough to move on past this." With her last breath Andros laid her back on the ground swearing even more vengeance on Darkonda and Dark Specter.

"Come on," Zhane whispered in his ear, pulling him gently to his feet and supporting him as he wavered. Zarkin took a place on his other side, full prepared to catch his brother as he fell forward in a dead faint. "This is going to be a hard one."

A/N: Please don't hate me. It had to happen. Please Review!


	22. Ch 22 Losing Numbers

Disclaimer: As much as I would like for it to be, Power Rangers is not my creation.

_Star Fata: At least it's not me._

_Slytherin-Angel44: It is pretty hard on Andros but he's going to push it aside for a while._

Ch. 22 Losing Numbers

Once the arrived back on the Megaship they rushed Andros to the Med Bay and waited. It was several hours before he showed the slightest sign of waking up. When he came to his brothers and sister forced him back down on the bed.

"How could I let this happen?" he asked, tears still pouring from his eyes. "I lost Akako and our son."

"It wasn't your fault," Karone stated, forcing him to look at her. "Both of them are in a better place now and you know they're together. But we still have a planet to protect. We have to help all these other innocent people." Andros nodded, pushing his personnel feelings aside, deciding to deal with them later. He still had a job to do and he wasn't going to let anyone else die.

The rangers reappeared on the surface seconds later and helped as many people as they could into the escape shuttles. As they watched the shuttles fill with families they couldn't help but think of their parents but they knew that they'd be proud of them now. It wasn't long before Dark Specter ruined the peace once again, sending a newly programmed Ecliptor and Darkonda to destroy the shuttles before they could leave the planet.

"You've killed almost all of my family," Andros stated, standing toe-to-toe with Darkonda. "I won't let you take anyone else's life." He pulled out his Spiral Saber and forced Darkonda back away from the shuttles while his brothers did the same with Ecliptor and Karone helped load the shuttles as fast as possible.

"Red Ranger," Darkonda snickered, "you'll never be able to stop me. I'll get your sister back and then I'll destroy you're entire family before I kill you." Andros felt his temper rising but tried to control it, no one needed him losing his cool right now. He had to stay in control, he couldn't let Darkonda win. It wasn't long before his sister rejoined the fight saying that all pedestrians had been removed from the area. Andros only had time to send her a silent thank you before rushing to his brothers' aid. He trusted Karone to keep Darkonda busy while he helped their two oldest brothers. Zhane had been tossed into a pile of debris but he seemed to be okay as he began picking himself up but Zarkin and Bryce were having some kind of problem with their morphers. Their suits began flickering and before long they were standing there, unable to morph.

"You have to get back to the Megaship," Andros commanded but both shook their heads.

"You need our help," Zarkin countered. "We won't leave you alone." They continued to fight until Ecliptor was able to throw them into the side of a building leaving them both unconscious. Andros didn't even have to tell DECA to teleport them to the ship and for that he was happy. He was surprised when Darkonda and Ecliptor simply disappeared, promising their destruction on another day.

"Let's go!" Andros ordered as he began heading towards the next loading zone. "DECA's reports say that Zarkin and Bryce are fine, but for some reason their bodies are beginning to reject the Power." As soon as all the people in the loading zone were on shuttles the rangers returned to the Megaship. "Are you guys okay?"

"We're fine," Bryce replied, although he did gasp as he tried to sit up a little straighter. "DECA says our bodies are rejecting the Power, but she doesn't know why." Andros went over to one of the computers and typed for several minutes. The results that showed up shocked him but explained why his brothers were losing their powers.

"This analysis says that DECA found a certain element in your bodies that doesn't tend to agree with the Powers if taken in large quantities," Andros explained. "You haven't had anything strange to eat or drink recently, have you?"

"Not that I remember," Zarkin replied. "Wait, we did go to that diner a couple weeks ago. The burgers did taste kinda funny."

"What does this mean?" Bryce asked, staring directly at his youngest brother.

"You guys have lost you powers," Andros whispered. "You can't morph." Just then Kilee ran into the room and jumped up on Zarkin's bed.

"You okay?" She asked, scared that she may be losing her brothers now.

"We're fine," Zarkin replied, tickling her slightly. "It seems that we'll be spending a lot more time with you."

"Hooray!" she screamed, happily running around the room.

"At least one of us is happy," Karone stated with a sigh.

"We'll figure something out," Zhane added, although he couldn't help but laugh at his little sister.

A/N: Please Review!


	23. Ch 23 Bad Birthday

Disclaimer: As much as I would like for it to be, Power Rangers is not my creation.

_Slytherin-Angel44: It gets a bit worse in this chapter._

_sky's girl forever: Yeah, his life really sucks right now but it will get better in a few chapters._

_SF: Glad you liked it._

Ch. 23 Bad Birthday

Weeks had passed since the rangers had found out the Zarkin and Bryce could no longer morph and the battles were beginning to take a toll on the three remaining rangers. Today was Andros' and Karone's sixteenth birthday and their siblings wanted to throw them a small party. They had sent them out with Kilee for the day, knowing the little girl would keep their secret and also keep her brother and sister from coming back to the ship too early. Once they had finished decorating for the party they brought in the two birthday cakes, one red and one purple.

It wasn't long before the return of their younger siblings was announced by DECA. They hurried to turn off the lights and find hiding places before they arrived in the Work Bay. Less than a minute later they heard the footsteps of their siblings approaching and prepared for the big surprise.

"Why is it so dark in here?" they heard Andros question and they could see the outline of his hand heading for the light switch.

"Surprise!" they all yelled, startling the twins.

"I told you no party," Andros ridiculed as he came forward to hug his brothers and then he turned to Kilee. "You had something to do with this, didn't you?" Kilee nodded and shrieked with surprise as he began tickling her. "Well, since this is a party, where are all the presents?" Andros' siblings couldn't help but laugh at his response and Zarkin quickly pulled out two wrapped boxes, one red and one purple.

"We couldn't get much," Zarkin explained and they both nodded, digging into the presents. At the bottom of the box there was a locket and in it were pictures of their parents. Tears formed in Karone's eyes as she slipped the necklace on and rushed to hug her brothers.

"Thank you," she whispered before turning back to her brother who was still staring at his necklace in disbelief. She saw the look in his eyes before anyone else and took him into his arms. "It wasn't your fault. It was their time to go." Andros only nodded weakly before DECA interrupted.

"Ecliptor is attacking the remaining evacuees!" She informed.

"Let's go!" Andros commanded, but not before pulling his new necklace over his head. Zhane and Karone followed him without question and their older brothers sent them a silent message of luck. It wasn't long before they were face to face with Ecliptor and Andros and Zhane were trying to force him away from the evacuees. Karone turned from where she was helping women and children onto the ship when she heard an all too familiar laugh. In the background she saw Darkonda holding a small child in his arms. She followed him, not bothering to tell Zhane and Andros because she didn't want to distract them from their fight, plus she could handle Darkonda by herself.

It wasn't long before Darkonda stopped and Karone saw that the child in his arms was a fake. She thought about going back to where her brothers were fighting but knew that Darkonda wouldn't allow her to.

"Ah, Astronama, I've been waiting to take you back to Dark Specter for a long time now," Darkonda stated, slowly advancing on Karone.

"I'm not Astronama anymore, Darkonda," she argued. "And I never will be again!"

"That's what you think," the monster laughed. "Quantrons!" Thee metal minions dropped from the sky and effectively cutting off her path back to her brothers.

"I'll never come with you!" Karone yelled and began trying to fighting her way through the Quantrons.

"Grab her!" Darkonda commanded and laughed loudly when Karone began fighting against their hold on her. "You're coming with me!"

"ANDROS!" she screamed out loud as well as silently.

"Karone's in trouble!" Andros yelled to Zhane and they took off in the direction of her voice. As they approached they saw Karone being held by a group of Quantrons and Darkonda was slowly advancing on her. "Leave my sister alone!"

"It's time for us to make our exit," Darkonda stated and they disappeared in a flash of light.

"Andros," Zhane began, placing a hand on Andros' shoulder, "she'll be okay. She can take care of herself. We have to go help them load the rest of the shuttles." Andros barely nodded but headed back to where the shuttles were.

Meanwhile, on the Dark Fortress Karone had managed to fight her way away from the Quantrons but now Ecliptor was holding her and he was much stronger. Darkonda came forward with some sort of circuitry in his hands.

"This will ensure that you are loyal to Dark Specter forever," he stated as he placed it on her head. Karone fought against them both but soon fell limp in Ecliptor's arms and they took her morpher from her arm. Darkonda pressed the return button, wanting the Red Ranger to know that Astronama was back.

It was several hours later before Andros and Zhane returned to the Megaship. Upon seeing the morpher lying on the control panel Zhane turned to face his brother. He started to speak when he saw all the color drain from Andros' face and he knew he had seen the morpher. Their brothers and sister entered the room to congratulate them but then saw that one of them was missing.

"Andros," Bryce began, approaching his little brother carefully, "we'll get her back." He laid his hand on Andros' shoulder but Andros turned on him.

"Get away from me!" he screamed. "You'll all die if you don't!" He ran from the room with Zhane close behind him.

"Andros!" he yelled after his friend. Andros didn't even pause and Zhane continued to follow him, knowing that there was a complete breakdown in the near future. He was proven right when Andros fell to the floor crying. Zhane carefully approached and sank down beside his friend. "It's going to be okay. We'll get her back, I promise." He pulled Andros into his lap and rocked him slowly as he cried. _'At least he's getting it all out,'_ Zhane thought silently but then the alarms went off.

"Astronama is attacking," DECA informed and Zhane would have sworn he heard sorrow in her voice.

"We have to go, Andros," Zhane stated and he felt Andros nod. "Are you sure you can do this?" Again Andros nodded and they headed for the Work Bay.

A/N: Please Review!


	24. Ch 24 Leaving It All Behind

Disclaimer: As much as I would like for it to be, Power Rangers is not my creation.

_Star Fata: Actually, she's in the next chapter but we still have to get through all the 'he doesn't want to fall in love with her' crap._

_Jessica01: It gets a little worse right here._

_Slytherin-Angel44: I fell bad for him too and I'm the one doing it to him._

Ch. 24 Leaving It All Behind

Andros and Zhane arrived on the surface just seconds after they had descended through their jumptubes and the surveyed the area for Astronama. They spotted her and ran forward to get her only to be intercepted by Darkonda and Ecliptor. Andros lost himself in the fight, allowing his emotions to fuel his power and he soon had Darkonda on the ground. He delivered the final blow to the evil creature and watched as he blew up. Beside him he could hear Zhane fighting Ecliptor and when he turned to face them Zhane nodded his head towards where Astronama now stood.

"Poor little Red Ranger," she mocked. "What are you going to do?" Andros stood there, frozen. He couldn't find it in himself to fight his sister. What if he hurt her or worse killed her? He'd never be able to forgive himself. He felt the familiar presence of his sister slip further and further away and he tried to pull her back to him but soon he felt her almost disappear completely from his mind. "Now, your weak little Karone has lost all control. Only Astronama remains."

"I don't believe you!" he yelled, although he made no move to attack her. "Karone's still in there and one day I'll get her back."

"Red Ranger," Astronama began, "I promise you I will destroy your sister long before you can save her so you might as well say goodbye now." She approached the ranger slowly, although she already knew he wouldn't attack her and she planned to use it to her advantage. "Come on, I'll even give you an advantage, you can have your little saber," she challenged but the Red Ranger kept backing away. She kept pushing, knowing exactly where she needed to get him in order for her plan to work without flaw. It wasn't long before she had him backed into a corner and with the Silver Ranger busy with Ecliptor she had this ranger's destruction all planned out.

Andros groaned silently when he felt his heel come in contact with a wall and he didn't have to look to know he had been backed into an alley. He looked at Astronama advancing towards him and he searched for any sign that Karone was still there. He found no proof but he knew in his heart that she was still alive and he couldn't hurt Karone, he just couldn't. He had hurt her enough already, costing her the loss of her childhood and then letting Dark Specter get a hold of her again after she had joined the rangers.

"Karone," he pleaded, "you have to fight. Fight for me, for Zhane, for anyone. We need you, I need you!" He saw a brief confusion pass through the evil princess' eyes but it was gone as quickly as it came.  
"I already told you, Karone is no more," Astronama taunted. "All that's left is me, Astronama. And now, Red Ranger, you will be defeated."

"No!" He heard Zhane yell from somewhere behind Astronama but he couldn't see him. Andros looked up to see a monster rushing towards him. He raised his Spiral Saber and managed to block the monster's attack, keeping him at a distance until his best friend arrived. "Are you alright?" Zhane asked without looking away from the monster. The silent reply he received was enough to satisfy his friend and they continued fighting. Astronama and Ecliptor made their exit silently, hating to have to regroup and calculate another master plan, but not really having a choice. The monster exploded in defeat not long after their departure and for that both rangers were thankful. When they exited the alley they saw a monster firing at a group of civilians and then Ecliptor was back terrorizing another group.

"That one's mine," Andros stated to his friend running towards the monster.

"Right," Zhane replied going to make a stand against Ecliptor. It wasn't long before Zhane noticed that Andros was having trouble and he hurried to finish up his fight with Ecliptor.

"Poor, little Red Ranger," the monster mocked. "I hear your sister is back on our side again and there's nothing you can do about it. Dark Specter is using her as a pawn and when you come after her it will be the destruction of both of you."

"He will never hurt my sister!" Andros yelled, losing control of his temper and fighting hastily. "I will save her!" He fell to the ground with the monster's next blow and Zhane rushed to save him.

"Andros! Run!" He yelled as he knocked the monster off balance and slashed it with his saber. The monster grabbed Zhane by the waste and pulled him down with him. The explosion was more than enough to knock Andros back to the ground again and he fought his way back up quickly only to fall to his knees.

"Zhane! No!" he screamed in agony, his best friend's body lying on the ground with his helmet smashed open. "Come on, Zhane. Wake up. I know you, you won't let them beat you." Andros felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see Kinwon standing behind him. When the older man motioned for soldiers to carry the Silver Ranger away Andros argued, "I'll do it. Don't touch him." He carefully placed his brother's body in his arms and stood. He walked quickly but carefully to a nearby medical tent and laid Zhane now. "What are his chances?" The doctor checked Zhane quickly and found little in the way of good news. He glanced over his shoulder at the Commander and then turned to face the now demorphed Red Ranger. "Just tell me!"

"I'm sorry, Andros," the doctor began. "The only way he'll survive is if he is placed in cryogenic suspension and I can't tell you how long it will be."

"But he'll survive?" Andros questioned, trying to hold on to some little shred of hope and the doctor nodded. "Do it." Within the hour, Zhane was placed in his chamber and it was loaded into the secret room of the Megaship. As Andros got ready to leave on his hunt for Dark Specter and Karone his siblings approached him.

"We're staying behind, Andros," Zarkin stated, pulling his brother into a hug.

"Are you sure?" Andros questioned. "I need you."

"You'll be okay, Andros," Bryce added. "Besides, we have to keep Kilee save and going with you to track down Dark Specter isn't going to keep her very safe."

"Just be careful, alright?" he asked his brothers. "I don't want to lose anymore family."

"We'll be fine," Zarkin replied. "You just go hunt down that bastard and get our sister back." Andros nodded, walking onto the Megaship and closing the door before he could change his mind. He took one more look at the home and family he was leaving before turning his sights fully on Dark Specter and his sister.

A/N: Please Review!


	25. Ch 25 Little Reminders

Disclaimer: As much as I would like for it to be, Power Rangers is not my creation.

_Slytherin-Angel44: Yes, here are the Space Rangers as we knew them._

_Jessica01: It does begin here._

_Star Fata: And so begins the 'crap'._

Ch. 25 Little Reminders

Two years had passed since the battle on KO-35 and Andros had now become even more serious than he had been after Karone's kidnapping. He was now in the secret room where Zhane was, telling his brother and friend about his run in with Darkonda the day before.

"It was really hard to fight him without any help," Andros whispered. "I really wish you were here. Then maybe we could find a way to get Karone back and destroy Darkonda for good. I miss you, Zhane. I miss you so much." A single tear made its way down his face and he wiped it away angrily.

"Andros," DECA interrupted, "we have arrived at the required destination."

"Alright, DECA," he answered transforming into his leader mode. As he made his way to the Bridge DECA couldn't help but worry about him. He had become so closed off during the past two years and she wasn't sure if he would ever return to normal. "DECA, I want you to stay at this location no matter what. We can't afford to lose the Megaship, understood?"

"Yes, Andros," the AI replied, although she didn't intend to follow that command if it came down to saving his life. After checking a few scans Andros headed for the Work Bay where he pulled on his cloak and jumped down his jump tube. DECA was so busy watching as Andros left that she didn't notice the small shuttle that was headed directly for the Megaship.

On the shuttle the ex-Turbo Rangers were busy talking, trying to figure out what they were going to do about Zordon's kidnapping and their Powers. Only when Ashley looked out the window did she notice the large spaceship that they were headed straight for.

"Guys," she called, effectively getting everyone's attention, "that ship is going to hit us."

T.J. rushed over to their communication panel and tried desperately to get a message to the huge ship, "We're on a collision course. You must change your course." He received no reply and was about to call again when he noticed the front of the ship opening. "What's going on?" Alpha answered but no one could understand anything he said. Meanwhile, on the Megaship DECA was grinning to herself. She was bringing Andros some help whether he wanted it or not and maybe they would be able to get through to him or at least that's what she was hoping for. "Look at the size of this ship," T.J. stated as they wondered around the humongous ship. They separated into two groups and Ashley and T.J. ended up on the Bridge with Alpha.

"Alpha, do you know what you're doing?" Ashley asked and after Alpha's jumbled response she added, "Whatever you say." The ex-rangers turned their attention back to the rest of the technology surrounding them not hearing the sound of footsteps approaching until the door slid open.

"Um, hi," T.J. began, not at all sure how to deal with what appeared to be Red Ranger facing them. "We didn't mean to come here. Is this your ship?" As he stepped towards the morphed ranger Carlos and Cassie rounded the corner. Cassie put her hand across Carlos' chest to stop him from advancing on the scared ranger but he took off anyway after closing one of the doors to the Bridge.

"Wait!" Cassie cried after him but he didn't even slow down. T.J. dove under the closing door and they began chasing him. When they descended down the ladder to the deck below they walked slowly around the corridor trying to find the Red Ranger. It didn't take long as he shot out from around the corner and began fighting them. "We don't want to fight you!" They kept blocking his attacks until there were shots fired at the ship and they were all knocked off balance. The Red Ranger recovered first and rushed to the Megalift and to the Bridge. T.J. tried to force the door open but found that it was stuck.

"We need to find another way," he stated and they walked further down the corridor. They heard something in the distance and then saw sparks coming from the Engine Room. "Let's check it out." They ran to the Engine Room and T.J. forced the door open. They looked around and he spotted the problem. "It's that cable. Come on." He and his friends quickly climbed the ladder and tried desperately to connect it back to the engine. "Try it now, Alpha." Alpha pressed a few buttons and the engine worked again.

On the Bridge DECA was telling Andros, "Engine back on line." Andros glanced up at her with a confused look that she couldn't see because of his helmet. Without command she pulled it up on the viewing screen.

"They were telling me the truth after all," he whispered more to himself than anyone else but then shook his head. "Mega Accelerator full power!" He pulled the levers back with all his might hoping against hope that he would somehow manage to keep them from slamming into the planet below. "The gravitational pull is too strong." That was all he had time o say before the contact and he was thrown over both sets of control panels and darkness took over.

The roar of the engines was still fresh in his mind as he woke up. He got up slowly mentally checking himself over for injuries. After finding nothing that needed to be attended to he rushed to the Engine Room to question the intruders.

"Who are you?" he demanded as he stood in the door.

"We're Power Rangers," T.J. answered and he added, "or at least we used to be. Our Command Center on Earth was destroyed."

"Astronama has landed on the planet's surface," DECA interrupted sending Andros flying towards the Bridge. The other rangers followed at a slower pace trying to figure out what exactly they should tell this stranger. When the door opened they saw him trying desperately to get the ship to liftoff but he couldn't.

"Listen," T.J. began, "I know we're from Earth but we really need to find Zordon."

"Zordon?" Andros questioned. What could these people know about Zordon? He hadn't been living on Earth, had he?

"Quantrons are approaching the Megaship," DECA warned and Andros got in the Megalift. Just as the door was about to close a hand forced it open again.

"We're coming with you," their leader stated and Andros knew he wasn't going to be able to hold them back. He allowed himself to glance over at the girl in yellow and immediately felt disgust for her. Her laugh reminded him of Karone, her looks reminded him of her, everything about her was a constant reminder of what he had lost.

The battle was a hard on but he had to admit that the Earth Rangers had been able to hold their own. He approached them slowly, taking in their appearances and stances to see if they were injured. In his mind he debated demorphing in front of these strangers, still afraid that they may be working with Astronama. In the end he demorphed and watched cautiously as the girl in yellow began coming closer and then circling him. He jumped in surprise as she poked him in the shoulder and she looked at him strangely.

"You're human," she stated.

"What'd you expect?" he questioned rudely.

"I don't know," she replied. "I mean, you're not from Earth are you?"

Again he felt disgust towards her as he answered, "Earth isn't the only place where humans live. I'm from a space colony, KO-35. It's in the Karova system."

Hours later Andros looked around the Bridge, searching for the reason why he had given these four strangers the morphers he had been holding onto for so long. As his eyes landed on Ashley he felt his anger rise. Not only did she remind him of Karone but now she was beginning to remind him of Akako and he couldn't take that. He left the room fuming leaving the other rangers to ponder what was going on with their new leader.

A/N: Please Review!


	26. Ch 26 Falling Hard

Disclaimer: As much as I would like for it to be, Power Rangers is not my creation.

_Star Fata: He won't be denying for much longer._

_Jessica01: He's actually starting to open up to Ashley here and it won't be long before he trust the others just as much._

_Slytherin-Angel44: Sorry for such a long wait but the good news is I have two new, healthy baby cousins and now that they're doing a lot better updates should be kind of regular again._

_Rotem: I hope you like it._

Ch. 26 Falling Hard

Five months had passed since Andros had given his teammates their morphers and each day he was falling more and more in love with Ashley. He tried to tell himself that he didn't love her that she would never love him back but he knew it was a lie. He could see it in her eyes every time she looked at him, every time she comforted him after a nightmare, and every time they were just having a good time with each other. Every night he dreamt about Akako and she was telling him to move on, to be happy with Ashley, to let her go. Andros would wake up in tears and rush for the comfort of Ashley's arms. She didn't push him to tell her about his dream she just let him cry knowing that he needed to let it out. One night it was particularly bad and he couldn't help but tell her about Akako.

_Andros thrashed around on his bed, sweat and tears pouring down his face as his mind forced him to relive the worst days of his life. It started out with the random beatings from his parents to both himself and Karone. Soon came the day of Karone's kidnapping, then Akako's death and Karone's second kidnapping. The scenes kept replaying in his mind and he was forced_ _to watch by some unknown presence. To his surprise a new scene played out in front of him, one that had yet to happed, Ashley's death. DECA had called Ashley after Andros failed to wake up to her call and now the Yellow Ranger was staring worriedly at the frail boy lying on the bed in front of her._

_"Andros," she whispered, shaking his shoulder roughly, "you have to wake up. It's just a dream." Her words did nothing to wake him and he began to fight away her hands. Ashley wrapped her arms tightly around him as he began to fight harder and harder, determined to see him through this nightmare. "Come on, Andros. It's just a dream." Finally, her words seemed to sink in and he began to calm down and soon he opened his red, puffy eyes. "Do you want to talk about it?" She knew it was a fifty-fifty shot with Andros but she had to ask, just in case. Surprisingly, he nodded his head and as he sat up she reached a hand up to wipe away his tears. _

_"It was all the horrible days of my life in one dream," he whispered, fighting the urge to break down and cry. "I saw when my parents beat me and Karone. I saw when she was kidnapped. But worst of all I saw the day Akako was killed." His eyes opened wide when he realized what he had told her but he couldn't take it back now. "She was my first love. She was pregnant and we were going to get married but the attacks grew worse everyday. I told her not to come down, I did." He looked up at Ashley to make sure she believed him and the love that shone back at him nearly caused him to cry. "But she saw a little boy that had wondered onto the field. We tried to get to him but couldn't and then she came down and...Darkonda killed her." The last of his hard won composure slipped and he found himself once again crying in Ashley's arms. She could tell that there was more he wasn't telling her but it wasn't her place to push, at least not yet. "And then I saw him killing you," Andros whispered through his tears, clinging to her even more. Ashley rubbed soothing circles on his back, hoping to calm the sudden surge of fear that ran through both of them._

_"Nothing will happen to me, Andros," she promised. "I'll always be here."_

After that night Andros made a conscious effort to be kinder to everyone, especially Ashley. He had been planning to ask her out for a while but he didn't know how Earth's dating traditions differed from KO-35 so he wisely decided to wait until he could find out more. He had been surprised when Cassie had told him about a birthday party they were having for Ashley. Among the simple mention of the word his mind drifted back to his and Karone's sixteenth birthday. He quickly shook his head, clearing the images, and pretended not to know what a birthday party was. Cassie quickly explained and told him that it would be nice if he would come. He said yes, of course, and he already had the perfect present.

After Cassie left the room Andros rushed to his room and began digging through his drawers looking for what he was planning to give Ashley. He found it hidden in the drawer where he kept all of his reminders of Akako.

"I'm doing this for you, Akako," he whispered and quickly dressed for the party.

A/N: Please Review!


	27. Ch 27 Party Time

Disclaimer: As much as I would like for it to be, Power Rangers is not my creation.

_Jessica01: They're going to make an apperance in a later chapter. It just didn't seem right to have them come into the picture yet but they will._

Ch. 27 Party Time

At the park Andros sat at a table by himself and watched as Ashley opened her presents. A smile formed on his face as she pulled out the fire extinguisher from Carlos and watched as she blew out the candles on the cake. Once again he was taken back to that dreadful day when all he had wished for was the war to be over. He wished he could go back and save everyone, his parents, Akako, Rylan, Karone, and Zhane, but he knew he couldn't. No matter what he couldn't do anything about it.

"Cake?" Ashley questioned, bringing him out of his thoughts.

"Thanks," he stated uncertainly as he placed the plate on the table behind him. "We don't celebrate birthdays on KO-35," he lied.

"It's alright," Ashley assured him, "I don't expect you to know all the weird customs here on Earth."

"Actually," Andros began, pulling a box from his pocket, "Happy Birthday, Ashley." Ashley looked at him in shock before taking the box from his hand and slowly removing the lid. Her eyes lit up when she saw the necklace and she reached out tenderly to touch it. "The stone's a rare gem from KO-35, I hope you like it."

"I love it," Ashley replied as she closed her hand around what she hoped was her first of many presents from Andros. "Thank you." She reached out slowly, giving him s chance to pull away before wrapping her arms around him.

Hours had passed since her birthday party and now Ashley stood before Andros as Astronama and was trying to convince him that she was really herself. _How can I get him to see the truth? Wait a minute!_ She turned to Astronama and questioned, "If you're Ashley, what'd Andros get you for your birthday?"

"I, uh," Astronama stuttered trying desperately to find some way out of the situation she had gotten herself into.

"Ashley?" Andros questioned looking back and forth between the two. Ashley could clearly hear the pain in his voice and she hated having to do this to him.

"It was a necklace from KO-35," Ashley answered. She saw Astronama reach for her blaster and hurried to stop her. She got off the shot but Andros was able to dive out of the way and shot Astronama forcing her to return to her normal form. Astronama ran over and began fighting with her, making it impossible for Andros or any of the other rangers tell the difference between the two.

"Am I seeing double?" T.J. questioned, blinking several times trying too clear his vision.

"How do we tell them apart?" Andros asked, more to himself than to anyone else and then he had an idea. "Ashley?" Their fight interrupted both turned to face him. He held up his left wrist and stated, "Let's Rocket!" Ashley nodded and showed their stance when they morphed proving that she was the real Ashley. She quickly ran over to her friends while Astronama called out the Body Switcher.

It wasn't long before they were standing on the Megaship in the Holding Bay and everyone turned to Ashley expectantly. When she didn't make any move to remove her helmet Andros stepped forward.

"Well, Ashley?" he questioned and she slowly unhooked her helmet. She pulled it away and Cassie wrapped her arms around her.

"Ashley, you're you again," she stated.

"What?" she questioned as she felt her face. "I'm me again." She couldn't stop the smile that formed on her face. Andros watched from his locker before quickly leaving the room. Ashley pulled her necklace out and whispered, "Thanks again, Andros." When she didn't get a reply she scanned the room only to find the Red Ranger missing. She shrugged, knowing better than anyone that sometimes he just need some time alone.

Almost a week had passed since Ashley's birthday and Andros had again begun to loosen up around the other rangers more although it was more apparent with Ashley. Cassie had asked Ashley about his new attitude several times but all her friend would say was that it was for the best. Today they had decided to go down to a planet's surface and collect some samples since they had been getting strange energy signals. They had detected no signs of life and were surprised when they were attacked by whatever lived there. They had managed to get to the Megaship but little did they know they'd be back on the planet's surface within mere minutes. The landing was less than smooth, but it was the best Andros could do given the circumstances. When they all managed to get up and found that everyone was okay they went to make the monster pay. It wasn't long before Andros fell to his knees in front of his foes, knowing that something was wrong with his best friend. He recovered and went to avenge his friend's death when he saw several of the intruders being thrown off the ship. He watched in awe with the other rangers as Zhane cleared the area rather quickly but quickly regained his composure when the monster was hovering over them at twenty stories tall.

The overgrown monster had went down fairly easy and Andros couldn't wait to catch up with his best friend. With Zhane around he might even be able to muster up the courage to ask Ashley out on a date. He glanced over at her and smiled slightly at the thought. He heard voices coming from the Bridge and signaled for everyone to slow down once he was able to make out the story being told.

"As I recall," Andros stated from the door way, smiling widely at his friend, "I was the one he grabbed and lifted up." He couldn't help but laugh as Zhane turned around in surprise.

"I'll have to finish this story to you later," Zhane whispered to Alpha before meeting his friend halfway. "What happened? How'd we get here?"

"You've been in hypersleep for two years?" Andros replied. "Don't worry, I'll tell you everything later, but first these are my friends." Zhane looked at Andros in shock. _'Did he say friends? Andros doesn't make friends.' _He pushed the thought aside concentrating on the names of the people in front of him.

"And I'm Ashley," the last girl stated. Zhane noticed she was wearing yellow and he planed to question Andros about that later. She stuck out her hand and Zhane looked more than a little lost.

"That's called shaking hands," his friend supplied. "It's a greeting."

"I knew that," Zhane replied, pretending to know what he was talking about. "I've just never met a female Power Ranger before." Ashley knew it was a lie but she couldn't help but agree with the teen in silver. As Andros stepped back in front of him he continued, "Last thing I remember, KO-35 was under attack?" He noticed Andros' slight grimace at the mention of their home but decided to wait until they were alone to question him. "So, what happened?"

"Come on," Andros started, wrapping an arm firmly across Zhane's shoulders. "I have a million things to tell you." The other rangers watched as the two friends made their way out of sight.

A/N: Please Review!


	28. Ch 28 Revealing Truths

Disclaimer: As much as I would like for it to be, Power Rangers is not my creation.

_Slytherin-Angel44: Oh, yes, the party is going to really start now. I love having new cousins, expecially since I can send them home when they start getting cranky._

_Star Fata: Glad you liked it._

Ch. 28 Revealing Truths

"So you actually gave up the morphers?" Zhane asked quiet amused at the situation. Andros had once sworn to him that he would never give the morphers to anyone else because no one would ever be worthy of them again. He watched his brother carefully, trying to figure out exactly what was going on in the other's head. Two years apart hadn't help the two seeing as though Andros appeared more serious and seemed to be less willing to let Zhane in. "Come on, talk to me, Andros. I know it's been two years and I know that DECA can't be that could at starting conversations." _I'm truly sorry for that, DECA, but I have to get him talking someway. Please don't make me eat spinach for the next week._

"I'm sorry," Andros whispered so softly that Zhane wasn't even sure it had really been said at all. Just as he was about to push his friend farther Andros broke. "I shouldn't have let you save me. I should have been the one that got hurt. Just like the others, it should've been me." A single tear made its way silently down his friend's face and Zhane reached out gently to wipe it away.

"Andros," Zhane began, "don't you remember when we first became rangers and you took that hit for me?" The other nodded slightly and Zhane continued, "I wanted to repay you. I owed it to you. Plus, I wouldn't have been able to make it these past two years in your spot. I was being selfish, I knew I couldn't survive without you but I thought that you could go on without me."

"You're wrong, Zhane," Andros whispered, the tears audible in his voice. "I didn't want to live without you either. If it wasn't for Karone I wouldn't be here, but I know she needs me." Zhane wrapped his arms around the younger teen in front of him. Despite their age they were still two little boys that didn't have a clue as to what they were really doing battling evil. When the tears had finally dried up Zhane decided to lighten the mood.

"So, tell me about these new rangers," he began. "Oh, and don't leave anything out about the one in yellow." Andros felt jealousy in the pit of his stomach but pushed it aside. _No girl will ever come between us.'_

"Well, let's see," Andros tried to think of where to start and decided for the very beginning, "I was at Dark Specter's party and DECA, for some reason, docked their shuttle here. When I returned T.J. and Ashley were on the Bridge and Carlos and Cassie came down the hall. I didn't know who they were so I ran. By the time I figured out who they were we had crash landed and Karone was attacking us." The last sentence was choked but Zhane had no problem understanding it.

"We'll get her back, I promise," he stated putting an arm around Andros' shoulders. "Enough about how you met them, what's with this new Yellow Ranger?" Andros blushed slightly and Zhane couldn't help but laugh.

"Am I that obvious?" he pondered but one look in Zhane's eyes told him the answer. "I don't know what it is. For a while there I was able to hate her because she reminded me of Karone and Akako. I don't know what happened but I think I may be falling in love with her."

"Have you told her this?" Zhane questioned, not at all surprised when his friend shook his head. He decided then to make it his mission to get Andros and Ashley together. If anyone deserved to get a little happiness it was his brother. "Do you think she feels the same way?"

"I don't know," Andros admitted. "I mean, whenever I have a nightmare I end up going to her but maybe she just feels sorry for me."

"Andros," Zhane stated firmly, forcing his friend to look at him, "I saw the way she was looking at you on the Bridge. She definitely doesn't feel sorry for you. In fact, I'd say she's in love with you but she's afraid, just like you are, to admit it."

"You really think so?" Andros asked excitedly. His hopes of getting Ashley had been quite low for a while now, especially when Carlos was around. He had a feeling that Carlos had feelings towards Ashley that she didn't exactly return.

"Yeah, I do," Zhane replied. "Now, tell me more about what's happened over the past two years." As Andros relived the past two years he tried t stick to the more positive details, not wanting to dwell on the bad now that things seemed to be going good for him.

Hours passed quickly for the two teens that were acting more like little children who hadn't played together for a couple of hours. It wasn't until there was a quiet knock on the door that they truly realized how late it was.

"Come in," Zhane called to whoever was on the other side of the door. The door opened slowly revealing a tired looking Yellow Ranger clad in yellow teddy bear pajamas. "Why, Ashley, what are you still doing up?"

"Actually," she began, trying to fight the smile that was threatening to form on her face, "I came to ask if you two would mind quieting down. The walls around here aren't soundproof you know."

"I told you we should've got the soundproof ones, didn't I?" Zhane questioned his best friend.

Andros rolled his eyes before replying to Ashley, "We were actually getting ready to turn in to. Sorry if we kept you up." He stood and headed out the door in the direction of his quarters, not paying attention to the fact that he had just left his best friend alone with Ashley.

"So," Zhane began, trying to figure out a way to bring Andros up gradually but deciding just to ask, "how do you feel about Andros?"

"What?" Ashley asked, obviously caught off guard.

"Do you love the boy or not?" he questioned. "He's been driving himself crazy the past few hours just trying to figure out if he should bother asking you out. I know how he is so I'm taking over. The last time I let him do this alone he did pretty well but for some reason I don't think he'll even ask you unless you make a move first."

"He likes me?" she asked, not entirely sure if she should actually use the word love.

"He loves you," Zhane stated. "He's loved you from pretty much the first moment he saw you and he's terrified to admit it to you because of what happened to his last girlfriend." Zhane's eyes widened as he realized what he had said and he hurried to take it back.

"I already know about Akako," Ashley whispered and Zhane couldn't help the look of surprise he gave her. "He told me about her after he had a really bad nightmare."

"That proves it," Zhane replied and pulled her on into the room. "Now, we have to plan what your first move is going to be."

A/N: Please Review!


	29. Ch 29 A Slight Misunderstanding

Disclaimer: As much as I would like for it to be, Power Rangers is not my creation.

_Slytherin-Angel44: Here's more._

_Jessica01: Yes, he's going to paly matchmaker and he's actually going to do a pretty decent job at it._

Ch. 29 A Slight Misunderstanding

That night of late night planning had led to many more nights of planning. It wasn't long before Zhane found himself decorating the Simu-Deck for his best friend and Ashley's first date. He had finally convinced Ashley that it was time for her to make the first move. They were both tired of waiting on Andros and given what had happened to Akako in the first place it was unlikely that he would ever make the first move. Ashley paced nervously around the corridors of the Megaship waiting impatiently for Zhane to finish his work on the Simu-Deck and give her advice on how to handle her date with Andros. She didn't want to push to hard and push him back into the shell that she had worked so hard to get him out of. Just as she was about to give up on Zhane every getting done he emerged from the door.

"Finished!" He announced proudly, locking the door behind him.

"Let me see," she whined but he put an arm firmly around her shoulder and led her away.

"Not until it's the right time," he told her. "We have to go figure out how you're going to get lover boy to agree to going on a date." Ashley sighed but followed Zhane to his room. Little did they know Andros had seen them walking into his best friend's room.

_'How could he do this to me?' _Andros fumed silently. _'I thought he understood. I thought he knew I liked her and he wasn't to go near her.'_ He walked around angrily kicking the wall and surrounding consoles. The other rangers looked at him in shock but he ignored them and headed to his own quarters, to upset to do any work.

Just as he was about to flop down on his bed DECA interrupted, "There's a monster attacking Angel Groove." He sighed heavily at the thought of having to fight along side his best friend but he couldn't let more innocent people get hurt.

"Is everyone ready?" he questioned, making it a point not to look at either Ashley or Zhane. At their nods he yelled, "Let's Rocket!" Within seconds they stood on the beach looking at a giant crocodile. "What do you want?"

"I want to destroy you, rangers," the monster stated. "My master wants you all dead, especially you, Red Ranger."

"Who's your master?" Andros questioned, hoping that it was anyone except his sister or Darkonda.

"Darkonda," was the answer and Andros could feel the color draining from his face. If Darkonda was back that meant that there was something bad coming their way.

"Well, tell him he'll never destroy us," he heard T.J. state from somewhere to his left but he couldn't bring himself to focus on the situation in front of him. Instead he was seeing an all too familiar scene, Karone's kidnaping. He shook himself from the memory when he felt a hand on his shoulder and he looked over to see his best friend. He felt Zhane trying to comfort him in his mind and he pushed his friend away, blocking any telepathic messages from him.

Inside his helmet Zhane frowned. _'Why'd he push me away like that? Did I do something wrong?'_ Zhane shook his head figuring that Andros just didn't want to appear weak to him and he quickly joined the fight. It didn't take him long to fight his way to Andros' side but he was surprised when Andros wouldn't work with him. "What's wrong with you?" he questioned, loud enough for everyone to hear.

"You know exactly what's wrong," Andros replied before throwing himself completely into the fight. Zhane joined him again, trying desperately to help his brother but Andros wouldn't let him. He kept pushing him further away and it was apparent to Zhane that he was taking more blows while fighting with him so he backed away to help the other rangers. "T.J., you go help him." To Zhane's surprise Andros seemed to have no problem fighting with T.J. by his side and his mind started to rake through the events of the past several days. What had he done? He hadn't said anything out of the way or done anything to hurt his friend he thought.

The monster was defeated quickly and the rangers found themselves staring up at the sky at Darkonda. He was making threats but Zhane was more worried about his friend. He could see that Andros was shaking slightly but quickly decided against trying to comfort him. It wasn't long before they were back on the Megaship and Andros found himself staring once again at Ashley. ZHane saw this and smiled to himself. Maybe Andros wouldn't have to be pushed as hard as he had originally thought. He started to head for the door when he heard Andros trying to make his move.

_There's no way I'm missing this,'_ he thought silently as he turned around. His attention was diverted by the cupcake on Ashley's plate. _'No reason for me to starve to death.'_ He reached out and grabbed it, shoving it all into his mouth.

"Hey!" Ashley yelled, her attention diverted from Andros so quickly that she didn't notice the scowl that formed on his face. "That was mine." Zhane just shrugged while licking his fingers.

Upon noticing that Andros wasn't going to continue their discussion with him in the room Zhane excused himself, "I'm going to go start some scans. Do you want to help?"

"Sure," Ashley answered, watching as he left for the Bridge. "So, what did you want to ask me?"

She was surprised when Andros looked at her and stated, "Forget it." He turned and went back to work. She sighed and headed for the Bridge. Andros watched her go sadly, wishing he could just come out and tell her how he felt.

_'Zhane's better for her anyways,'_ he told himself. _'All I'll do is hurt her.'_ He looked up as Zhane entered the room and sighed silently.

"DECA's located the source of the message," he reported. He watched as Andros continued to work and wondered yet again what he had done. "What's going on with you?"

"You damn well know what's wrong," Andros answered, whirling on Zhane, grabbing the front of his shirt, and slamming him into the wall. "I thought you knew I liked her. I finally find someone else and you just have to take her."

"Ashley?" Zhane asked surprised and Andros nodded. "We're just friends. In fact, we've been trying to find a way to get you to ask her out."

"Really?" he question, his grip on Zhane's shirt loosening slightly.

"Yeah," his friend replied. "You knew I wouldn't do that to you." Andros nodded letting go of Zhane completely.

"Darkonda is attacking," DECA stated, interrupting their brotherly moment.

"We're on it," Andros answered as the other rangers joined them. "You guys take care of Darkonda's lab, Zhane and I will take care of him." Zhane placed a hand on Andros' shoulder, glad that he didn't pull away. Everyone nodded and went to their jumptube.

"Red and Silver Ranger," Darkonda began, "I wish I could say I'm surprised to see you but I'm really not."

"What do you want?" Andros asked.

"I want to destroyu you," he answered with a sneer. "Of course, then I thought about how funny it would be if I got your sister to do it for me." Andros and Zhane both fought hard to keep their rage in check but in the end it proved to be to much. They both charged at him but he had disappeared by the time they got there. Andros and Zhane demorphed and walked toward the lab.

"Come on, Andros," Zhane began, trying to lighten the mood, "you have a date to go on." At Andros' baffled look they disappeared in bright lights.

Three hours later Andros sat on the Simu-Deck with Ashley in his arms wondering how he had gotten so lucky. After a lengthy apology to Zhane he had been caught off guard when Ashley had entered the room in a simple you eloquent yellow tank top and skirt. It had taken his breath away and by the time he was able to pay attention again Zhane was gone and only Ashley remained. Silently he cursed and thanked his friend. It had taken them both several minutes but eventually he had managed to ask her out. Zhane came back into the room and blindfolded them both before leading them to the Simu-Deck where a replica of the park in KO-35, Andros' favorite spot, was waiting. He and Ashley had eaten a delicious dinner and talked for what seemed like forever. Now, Andros was building himself up for the big finish. Slowly he placed a hand on Ashley's chin and forced her to look at him.

"I've been alone for so long," he began, stroking her cheek gently, "that I had forgotten what it felt like to love." He pulled her closer and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. "I love you."

"I love you too," Ashley stated, leaning in for another kiss.

A/N: Please Review!


	30. Ch 30 Family Reunions

Disclaimer: As much as I would like for it to be, Power Rangers is not my creation.

_sky's girl forever: Glad you liked it. There will be more cute A/A chapters in the future._

_Slytherin-Angel44: They are really cute together and they only get cuter._

_Star Fata: Glas you liked it._

Ch. 30 Family Reunion

Months passed slowly for the rangers as Astronama's attacks became much more frequent and the monsters became tougher to beat. Andros and Ashley's relationship grew quickly and Zhane had taken credit for every part of it. They were now all on the Bridge doing system checks and scans.

"Dros," Zhane began, coming up behind his best friend, "these readings are off the charts." He handed Andros the data pad in his hands and his best friend took a good look at it.

"DECA, can you get any specific readings from the planet?" he questioned as he pressed some buttons on the console in front of him.

"Yes," the AI answered and Andros and Zhane could swear there was joy in her voice. "I'm getting what appear to be Power readings, two of them."

"Meaning Bryce and Zarkin," Zhane whispered and Andros nodded. A smile broke out across both of their faces and they all but danced around the room.

"Who are they?" Ashley asked from beside them, racking her brain frantically for the answer.

"Our brothers," Andros answered simply. "And if they're there are little sister, Kilee must be there too."

"Are we sure it's not a trap?" T.J. questioned from the back.

"No," Zhane replied, "that's while we'll go prepared for an attack. If there's not one great but if there is we'll be prepared." Andros only nodded already halfway out the door before anyone else could relax. "Slow down there, brother. If you think you're getting there before I do you're crazy." Andros nodded his head once in obvious compliance to the challenge and they raced to their jump tubes. The others watched them go with a laugh, glad that Andros was allowing himself to have fun again. The others followed the toy playing brothers slowly, giving them plenty of room to race. It wasn't long before they were on the planet's surface, where DECA demorphed them into safety suits. "Thanks, DECA," Zhane stated into his morpher. Andros and Zhane led the way, trying to use their telepathy to locate their siblings but having little luck.

"Looking for these?" Darkonda asked behind them and they turned to see him holding their brothers. Andros took a step forward but stopped when Darkonda shook his head. "Red Ranger, you know what I am capable of. I suggest you back up and do exactly as I say." Andros only obeyed and watched as some of KO-35's best shoulders slowly advanced on Darkonda using the dust clouds as covers. "Now, hand over your morphers." When the rangers hesitated he added, "Now! Or I won't hesitate to kill them right now!" Just as Andros unstrapped his Darkonda growled as he was hit by a beam. His grip loosened on Bryce and Zarkin, giving the two just enough time to rush over to their brother.

"I can't believe you're alive," Zarkin stated, hugging his brothers slightly.

"We'll have more time later," Andros replied, "but for now we have to take care of this problem. You guys stay here, this is our fight." The other rangers nodded but kept a look out for incoming danger. It wasn't long before Darkonda was yet again blown up and the two rangers approached them with goofy smiles on their faces. "Zarkin! Bryce!" Andros jumped at his brothers, who laughed at his enthusiasm. He pulled back just long enough to ask, "Where's Kilee?"

"She's with the other rebels," Zarkin explained. "We started getting energy readings that matched the Megaship so we came out to take a look around and guess who we ran in to. He sure has a way of messing solely with our lives, doesn't he?" Andros only nodded and everyone could see the guilty look in his eyes. "You know I didn't mean it like that. Don't make me have to teach you another lesson." Andros nodded and quickly straightened up, remembering too well the lessons his brother had taught him after Karone's disappearance and all the other traumatic events in his life that he blamed himself for. He would stand at his door and tell really bad jokes or sing until Andros let him in and agreed to go places with them or at least spend time out of his room.

"Let's go then," Zhane stated excitedly, letting his brothers lead the way.

"Andros! Zhane!" Kilee screamed upon spotting her other two brothers. She ran over to them, jumping into Andros' arms and hugging them both. "When did you get here?"

"We started getting Power readings and came down to see if it was really Zarkin and Bryce," Zhane explained. "It's really great to see you." He backed away and looked at his sister. "Since when did you get so big?"

"Silly," Kilee began, "you haven't seen me in over two years did you expect me to stay the same?"

"Of course," Andros answered. "We wanted you to stay that cute little girl forever. Now, you're an all grown up twelve-year-old."

"Hey," she stated, "my birthday's not for a whole nother week so I'm still eleven." Ashley noticed her comment about a birthday but decided to corner Andros about it later, much later if it meant him being happy.

"So, you're a grown up eleven-year-old," he replied. "I wanted you to stay a cute little baby, like right before you learned to say no all the time." His siblings laughed and they went off to play with their little sister.

"Did you hear what she said, Ashley?" Cassie whispered in her friend's ear.

"Yeah," she answered, "but if it means him being happy for a little while, I'll wait to ask him about it."

Meanwhile, Andros and his siblings were playing and interesting game of tag not far from where the rangers were and Andros couldn't keep his attention from going to Ashley. He knew that she had heard Kilee's statement about her birthday and knew that it wouldn't be long before he had to tell them about Karone. He snapped out of his thoughts when someone hit him on the arm.

"You're it!" Kilee yelled, running as fast as she could to get away from him. He quickly joined back in the game and it wasn't long before they were all drinking a nice, cool cup of water. "Do you have to leave again?" she questioned, looking at Andros.

"Yeah," he answered and he saw the hurt in her eyes, "but I have an idea. Why don't you guys come and stay on the Megaship? It's a lot safer now and we're not exactly flying around the universe as much as we use to."

"Can we?" Kilee asked her other brothers. "Please? Please?"

"You know we've never been able to tell you no," Bryce replied as he telekinetically brought over their suitcases.

"You had this planned, didn't you?" Zhane accused and Bryce just winked. Andros sighed as he watched his brothers argue and couldn't help but think that everything was going to be right now that their family was almost all together.

A/N: Please Review!


	31. Ch 31 Family Secrets

Disclaimer: As much as I would like for it to be, Power Rangers is not my creation.

_Star Fata: Here's more._

_Jessica01: Not a so sweet chapter here._

_Slytherin-Angel44: Glad you liked it._

Ch. 31 Family Secrets

Almost a week had passed since Andros and Zhane's siblings had come to stay on the Megaship and the other rangers liked the changes that had occurred to their leader. Andros was much more relaxed now, having fun with them like he was a little kid again. He and his siblings had many conversations about telling the other rangers about Karone but Andros was too afraid to do it. He was afraid that it would ruin his relationship with Ashley and he didn't think he could stand her hating him. They were all now on the Simu-Deck playing on of Kilee's favorite holo-games when DECA suddenly interrupted.

"Astronama is attacking Earth with a new monster," she alerted and the rangers quickly rushed off.

"Well," Astronama began as they landed in front of her, "I was beginning to think you'd never show up. Now the party can really begin." She raised her staff and shot several lightning bolts at them effectively separating the team. Andros and Zhane were together and the Earthborn were together. Astronama's monster, Batarax, quickly took on Andros and Zhane while Astronama took care of the other rangers. Andros kept a close eye on the fight going on behind them, not wanting any of his friends to hurt his sister. He heard her gasp in surprise and quickly turned around, trusting Zhane to keep fighting. Andros saw T.J. knock her down on the ground and begin to bring his ax down for the final blow.

"NO!" he yelled and ran to jump in front of her. He felt the blade of the ax come in contact with his chest and down the rest of his body. He fell to his knees and found himself fighting to remain awake. His suit shimmered and then disappeared leaving him lying there in a blood covered tank top and pants.

"Andros!" Ashley screamed rushing over to him. Astronama and her monster disappeared in a stream of light leaving the rangers to morn their fallen friend. The other rangers demorphed slowly and Zhane ran over to his friend.

"Why didn't you stop!" he asked furiously, turning on T.J. "You should've been paying attention!"  
"Why is he jumping in front of the enemy!" T.J. questioned angrily.

"Because she's our sister!" Zhane answered before falling on his knees beside his best friend. "Come on, Andros, wake up."

"We have to get him back to the ship," Cassie whispered, slowly pulling both Ashley and Zhane away so Carlos could pick up Andros. They materialized on the Bridge and quickly headed for the Med Bay, ignoring the questions from Zarkin and Bryce. T.J. stated at the door watching as his friend's patched up their leader as he continued to run Zhane's statement through his head. _"Because she's our sister."_ He had overheard Andros and Ashley talking one night and had heard him mention a sister but never that she was Astronama.

In the Med Bay, both Ashley and Zhane had a firm grip on both of Andros' hands, willing him to wake up. The scans had shown nothing more than a few broken ribs and a few bruises so no one could figure out why he wouldn't wake up. DECA had suggested that his body may have shut down to help fix the injuries faster but she couldn't tell them when or if he would wake up. They didn't have to wait long as Andros groaned loudly. Zhane quickly stood from his stool, knowing all to well what his friend would try to do. He placed his hands on Andros' shoulders and held his friend to the bed.

"Andros," he whispered, "it's me. You got hurt in the fight and you can't sit up yet. You need to lay still, okay?" Andros nodded his head slightly and Zhane relaxed his grip. Slowly his friend opened his eyes and looked around the room before the fight came back to him.

"Is she alright?" he asked and Zhane nodded.

"Karone's fine," he answered. "You should really work on your timing though. A couple more blows like that and you'll be in here for a long time."

"I guess we have to explain everything," he murmured, more to himself than anyone else. "So, here's the story. Karone's my twin. When we were younger our biological parents beat us. When we were three I was put in the hospital and I met Zhane. I told the police what our parents had done and Zhane's parents adopted us. We were so afraid that things wouldn't work out but they did at least for a little while. When we were five we went to the park to play and Darkonda kidnapped Karone. Dark Specter turned her into Astronama and we figured it out several years later. We got her back and she was the Purple Ranger but during the final battle on KO-35 Dark Specter was able to get her back again. I haven't been able to get through to her yet but I will get my sister back. I'm sorry that I didn't tell you earlier."

"It's okay, Andros," Ashley stated. "The important thing is we know now and we can do something about it."

"What do you mean something about it?" T.J. questioned from the doorway. "She's evil, she's tried to kill us, why should we help her?" He was furious with his friends. How could they be this stupid? It was obvious Andros was trying to lead them into a trap, why couldn't they see it?

"T.J.!" Cassie hissed. "She's not supposed to be evil. She's the Purple Ranger. We need her on our side."

"Well, I'm sorry, but I don't feel that way," he replied. "And I'm not planning on helping the enemy." With that he stormed off in the direction of his quarters.

"Guess we won't be getting his help," Bryce stated from the side. When Andros glared at him he added, "Don't worry, little brother, we'll get her back. We did it once we can do it again."

"Let's go get her," Andros commanded as he attempted to rise from the bed. Zhane pushed him back down and shook his finger firmly at him.

"I don't think so," he ordered. "You'll be in here for at least the night. We'll start making a plan in the morning." Andros nodded, his eyelids already drooping. The others with the exception of Ashley quietly made their way out of the room. Ashley watched her boyfriend's sleeping form on the bed and couldn't help the smile that formed on her lips. Things were finally beginning to work out for him, maybe she was his lucky charm after all.

A/N: Please Review!


	32. Ch 32 Remembering

Disclaimer: As much as I would like for it to be, Power Rangers is not my creation.

_Star Fata: If you changed what you say now, how would I know it was you? Wow! There sure are a lot of words that mean great in german. _

_sky's girl forever: T.J. changes his attitude in this chapter._

_Jessica01: T.J. is going to help too._

Ch. 32 Remembering

The next morning Andros woke up and looked around the Med Bay. Ashley was asleep on the bed beside him and he moved slightly. When she didn't wake up he slowly sat all the way up planning on going to find a way to get Karone back. He slowly made his way to the door and glanced around both sides, glad to find the hallway empty. When he made it to the Bridge doors he was surprised to find T.J. standing there. He could only remember little parts of their discussion about Karone but he did remember that T.J. hadn't been very happy when he had found out.

"What are you doing?" Andros questioned as he walked by T.J. to get to his seat.

"It was my turn to monitor the searches," he answered, not even glancing up from the control panel in front of him.

"I know you're against helping my sister," Andros stated. "I understand your concern, but know now there's no way I would put anybody on this ship in danger. The only way I would bring her here was if I was sure she wasn't evil anymore."

"I'm sorry," the other whispered. "I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions. I had a younger sister and one day while we were playing in our backyard she was kidnapped. The police found her body in the forest. The kidnapper had tortured her and then killed her. I always blamed myself and I guess I just got angry because you have the chance to get your sister back and I don't."

"I know it seems unfair," he replied. "I've thought that for years. Why would God give me the chance to get my sister back when it's my fault she was taken in the first place? But then I realized that it wasn't my fault, that no matter how hard I tried, there was no way I could have saved her either time she was kidnapped." It was then that the alarms sounded sending all the other rangers racing to the Bridge. "What's going on, DECA?"

"There are a group of rangers that look exactly like you attacking Angel Groove," the AI explained.

"Let's go!" Andros commanded and everyone could tell he had no intention of staying behind. They rushed to the jumptubes and raced to Earth. "Who are you!"

"Ah, it seems the rangers have finally came out to play," the one in red stated in a mechanical sounding voice. They charged at them, weapons raised and the rangers didn't even have time to call their own weapons before they found themselves on the ground. "We are the Psycho Rangers and we will destroy you." All the rangers groaned in pain as their evil counterparts drained their energy. They were surprised when the Psycho Rangers disappeared and wondered what had happened.

"Let's get back to the ship," Andros whispered. He could feel the worry that was building up in the pit of his stomach. They hadn't even been able to call their weapons before they were down, this was going to be bad. "DECA, what did they do to us?" The AI quickly scanned the rangers and computed the results.

"From what I can see, they didn't drain any of your energy," she answered, "but they may have read your minds."

"Why would they do that?" Carlos questioned.

"To learn how we fight," T.J. concluded, looking at the results on the screen. "They're faster than us but we would have been able to get in a few hits if they didn't know how we fight. That's the information they needed from us. Now they have the upper hand."

"There has to be something we can do," Cassie stated. "But what?" They all fell quiet, everyone trying to come up with some plan of attack.

"If we could manage to switch who we fought against," T.J. began, "we should have an advantage."

"But wouldn't it be easy for them to switch back and end up fighting with the right on of us?" Ashley questioned.

"So we all need to be one color," Andros concluded. "We actually have a cloaking device that can do that in DECA's programming." Just then the alarms sounded and the rangers hurried into battle. They were surprised to only see three of the Psycho Rangers and decided to wait to put their plan into motion. Behind their evil counterparts they saw Astronama.

"It's about time you rangers came out to play," she snarled. "As you may have noticed my entire ranger team is not present. That's because I don't think you can handle three of them so what's the use of using all of them." Just as they were about to attack a smile broke out across her face. "Red Ranger, I want to fight you, alone." Andros nodded although he could feel the disapproval from his teammates. He followed his sister as she ran to a secluded part of the forest. She quickly attacked him sending him to the ground with her sitting on his chest. She leaned down beside his ear and whispered, "Ecliptor took of the real implant. I'm Karone again but I must remain in disguise as Astronama or risk bringing more danger to you. Now, fight me and then I'll disappear and call back the Psycho Rangers. Later tonight I will send you data that will aid you in destroying them." Andros rolled, pushing her off him and fell into a defensive stance. To anyone used to watching him fight it would have been obvious that he wasn't trying but it didn't matter. His insides were dancing with joy and he couldn't wait to tell the others although he would have to remember to tell them it was to remain a secret. It wasn't long before she disappeared and the rangers were back on the Megaship. As they demorphed Andros couldn't help the smile that broke out across his face.

"What's up with you?" Zhane asked. Usually his brother wouldn't be happy about a fight like that and Zhane was sure something was going on.

"She's Karone," he answered. "Ecliptor removed the implants but she said she needed to stay on their side that way they don't begin to suspect anything. She's going to send us data that will help us defeat the Psycho Rangers tonight."

"Are you sure she wasn't lying?" T.J. questioned.

"I'm sure," he replied. "I would definitely like having her here but if she feels she needs to stay there to help us that's fine with me as long as I get my sister back."

"Our sister," Zarkin corrected as he, Bryce, and Kilee entered the room. "So, what's the big news?"

"Karone's back," Zhane told him. "But it will still be a while before she's back here."

"As long as she comes back," Bryce added, "that's all that matters." His brothers and sister nodded their head in agreement and they began telling the other rangers about times they had shared with Karone.

A/N: Please Review!


	33. Ch 33 Special Birthday

Disclaimer: As much as I would like for it to be, Power Rangers is not my creation.

_Star Fata: Glad you liked it. _

_Slytherin-Angel44: Sorry for the long wait. Had a little bit of writer's block. Hope you like it._

Ch. 33 Special Birthday

About a week had passed since Karone's confession to Andros and they had defeated the Psycho Rangers easily after she had sent data about them to Andros. The team was finally working together again and it was paying off as Dark Specter forced Karone to send harder and harder monsters. She had been talking to Andros and her other siblings over the com system every night but they hadn't gotten anything from her in the past three days and Andros was beginning to worry.

"Don't worry, Andros," Ashley whispered, laying a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Maybe they started suspecting something and she needs to lay low for a little while."

"Yeah," Andros agreed, not sounding the least bit convincing, "I'm sure you're right. It's probably nothing, but I can't help but worry."

"I know you can't," she replied. "That's why we're doing everything we can to get her to our side again." Andros nodded and then Ashley pulled him up out of his seat.

"What are you doing?" he questioned, he felt a little angry but it all melted away when he saw the look in her eyes.

"I'm not going to let you stay here and worry yourself for no reason," she answered, steering him towards the Megalift. "That's why we're going to have some fun." She led him to the Simu-Deck, covering his eyes just before they walked threw the doors. He knew that the lights were out even with his eyes closed and had a bad feeling about what was about to happen.

"Surprise!" he heard everyone yell and Ashley moved her hand. He looked around the room and saw they had made the Simu-Deck into the park on KO-35. The red balloons floating around he knew had to be his sister's idea. She loved balloons and they never could escape having them at any kind of party.

"I know you might be mad," Ashley began, "but Zhane told me you haven't celebrated your birthday since you turned sixteen so we're catching you up. Three birthdays all in one day."

"I knew you caught on to that when Kilee mentioned her birthday," Andros accused. "I was just waiting for you to ask."

"I thought about asking several times," she explained. "But then I thought you'd just blow it off so I went to Zhane because I know he'll tell the truth. He decided it would be better to have all your siblings there and they explained what had happened."

"I love you," Andros whispered as he pulled Ashley to him. He kissed her passionately before turning back to the others. "So, what kind of presents do you guys have for me?" He sat down in the middle of his friends and Ashley had to smile at the sight. It gave her great joy just to know such a little thing could make him so happy.

They quickly showered him with gifts which ranged from clothes to fire extinguishers. He loved them all and was happy to have friends that cared about him so much. He was used to this treatment but it had been so long. He missed those days horribly but he wouldn't give up his new friends and Ashley for anything.

"Andros," DECA interrupted, "you have a new transmission from your sister." He nodded and quickly stood, heading to the Bridge followed closely by his siblings.

"On screen," he commanded as he sat down in his chair.

"Andros," Karone began, looking behind her quickly, "I'm sorry I haven't talked to you for the past few days. Darkonda started to suspect something and I had to cover my tracks. I told them I was communicating to you and that I was gaining your trust so I could easily defeat you. I just want you to know that's all a lie. I would never hurt you. I thought I better tell you Dark Specter is ready to launch a full scale attack to take over the universe. You need to be ready. Zordon is going to be moved here to the Dark Fortress. I will open teleportation between our ships to allow you to get onboard." She glanced behind her again. "I have to go. I'll talk to you soon." With that the screen went black and they were left to wonder.

"Do you think she's okay?" Andros asked.

"I'm sure she is," Bryce answered. "She'll send us another message when she can but for now we have to get ready for that attack."

"Yeah," Zhane agreed and they headed back to the Simu-Deck.

"What'd she say?" Ashley asked as they entered the room.

"Dark Specter's planning a big attack," he replied. "We have to be ready for anything. Everyone's going to be attacking." They all nodded and headed for the Bridge to begin planning.

A/N: I know it's short but the next one will be longer. Please Review!


	34. Ch 34 Taking Charge

Disclaimer: As much as I would like for it to be, Power Rangers is not my creation.

_Phantom Rogue: It is cute. Everything will work out._

_Star Fata: Here's more._

_Slytherin-Angel44: Glad you liked it. You'll find out in this chapter._

A/N: Only one more chapter to go. Enjoy.

Ch. 34 Taking Charge

The next day came quickly for the rangers. They had stayed up late running system checks and scans for any signs of Dark Specter. Andros had stayed up past the other rangers and had practically been beating himself up since he hadn't been able to contact Karone. He had a bad feeling and it just wouldn't go away. Ashley had tried several times along with his siblings to get him to go to bed but he had refused and they had eventually given up.

"Has anything shown up?" Ashley questioned as she took a seat beside Andros.

"No," he answered, the unease obvious in his voice. "I still can't shake this feeling that something's happened to Karone."

"Same feeling you had when she was kidnapped?" Bryce asked and Andros nodded. "Don't worry they wouldn't do anything bad to her. They need her to get to us." The alarms began blaring and they looked to DECA expectantly.

"There are a thousand Velcofighters heading for Earth," the A.I. announced. "The rebels are being attacked as well as every other civilization that had any interaction with Zordon."

"We're on it," Andros stated. He ran to the controls and pushed them both forward. "Hold on, Earth. We're on the way." He quickly made his way back to his controls as the other rangers filed into the room. "Everybody ready?"

"All systems on line," T.J. reported and Andros nodded.

"Fire at will," he commanded, quickly finding their ship in the middle of a large group of Velcofighters. It wasn't long before he found that they weren't getting the results they wanted. Too many were making their way to Earth. He turned to Bryce and Zarkin and asked, "You guys think you can handle everything up here while we go down?"  
"Are you kidding?" Bryce replied, pushing T.J. and Carlos out of the way. "We've been waiting to drive this thing again." Andros smiled but quickly reverted to his leader mode leading the other rangers into action.

"Alright, guys," he began as they made their way to Earth, "we'll have to spilt up. We have to get all these innocent people out of the way." He felt more than saw everyone's nod. He could feel their nervousness. They had never been through anything like this before, he had, he knew what had to be done. He wouldn't allow Dark Specter to win against him twice. He and Ashley ran towards a group that was filled mostly with small children and quickly pushed the Quantrons back making room for the children to run. "Go find your parents."

"Ah, my son, the failure," he heard an all too familiar voice state behind him. He felt his body freeze and he slowly forced himself to turn around. He couldn't believe what he saw. His father was standing there with Darkonda at his side. He was covered in battle gear similar to Karone's and a sword dangled easily in his hand. "I hope you don't think you're coming out of this alive."

"You had something to do with Karone's disappearance," Andros concluded and his father clapped.

"Glad you finally figured it out," Amor replied. "I thought about getting you but I knew it would hurt you more if I took Karone."

"Why?" Andros found himself asking.

"Both of you were burdens," his father answered simply. "We never wanted you. Why do you think we tried to get rid of you so many times?"

Ashley, who was standing beside Andros, placed a hand on his shoulder and whispered, "It's okay, Andros. He'll pay for what he did to you." He shook his head, trying to clear it. He couldn't fight with anger it had already caused him to lose too much. He followed Ashley as she began to walk away, hoping to give himself enough time to cool down.

"You're not going anywhere, rangers," Darkonda hissed, throwing a blast at them. They hit a pile of debris behind them and demorphed. They tried to fight of the Quantrons that surrounded them but they couldn't and soon found themselves in a small cell on the Dark Fortress.

"Andros!" Karone yelled from a corner. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," he answered, kicking the bars in anger. "Guess this is why we haven't heard from you?"

"Yeah, they caught me after I told you about Dark Specter's attack plan," Karone explained. "They threw me in here and told me I would pay."

"Who put you in here?" Andros asked, already knowing the answer.

"Some new guy," his sister replied. "He seemed familiar but I don't know why."

"He's our father," Andros whispered. Karone's wide-eyed look confirmed her surprise and she wrapped her arms around her brother.

"Why would he do this?" she questioned although their past was already starting to replay in front of her. "I remember what he used to do to us." Tears ran freely down her face and Andros pulled her to him.

"It will be okay," he whispered, "I promise." He had promised her so many things in their lives but this promise he intended to keep no matter what it cost him.

"Andros," Ashley whispered from the other side of the cell, pointing at something in the next room. Andros made his way to her side, mouth dropping when he saw Zordon. He knew Zordon had seen them but his friend wouldn't look at them, instead he kept looking the other direction. Andros listened closely, barely able to make out to voices talking. He knew the voices immediately, both making him sick to his stomach.

_'Andros,'_ he heard Zordon whisper silently. _'You have to break my energy tube. It's the only way to safe the universe. There's a sword lying to the left of me use it.'_ He saw Zordon glance in their direction and he nodded once.

"What's going on?" Ashley asked quietly.

"I'm going to put an end to this," he told her. He reached out with his telekinesis for the keys he had seen one of the Quantrons put on the other side of the wall. He could feel them but without being able to see them he had no idea if he was attracting any attention. He smiled slightly when he felt the cool metal of the keys in his hands and he could still hear his parents arguing. "You two stay here. I'm going to do what I should've done a long time ago." Ashley and Karone tried to stop him but he put a stop to their efforts by locking the door back. "I have to do this." They both nodded and watched him go. He walked over to Zordon's tube and picked up the sword, making sure to make enough noise to get his parents' attention.

"What do you think you're doing?" Amor questioned.

"Something I should've done a long time ago," Andros replied, letting the sword drop to the ground but still close enough that he could grab it if he needed to. "For years I let you beat me and Karone. I thought I deserved it for some reason but now, after much convincing from several people, I've come to see that I didn't. Now, I'm going to put an end to the control you have over me." He picked the sword back up and prepared to break Zordon's energy tube. "I'm sorry," he whispered as he brought the sword down and gold light engulfed the room.

A/N: Please Review! Sorry for the wait. Real life sucks.


	35. Ch 35 Final Goodbyes

Disclaimer: As much as I would like for it to be, Power Rangers is not my creation.

_Star Fata: Glad you liked it. Here's the final chapter finally._

_Bolyen: It's definately not soon but here it is._

_Slytherin-Angel44: Sorry for the wait._

Ch. 35 Final Goodbyes

The golden light blinded him for several minutes after it had vanished from the room and his vision slowly began to return. In front of him lay both his parents, obviously dead, with pained expressions on their faces. Although he was sure they had only gotten what they deserved he had expected Zordon's wave to make them good.

_'But they weren't under Dark Specter's control,' _a voice whispered. _'They chose this and this was their destiny.' _He heard his sister and girlfriend crying and hurried to let them know he was okay.

"Andros!" Ashley yelled when she looked up. "I thought you were gone!"

"I told you I could handle it didn't I?" he asked and they nodded. "See, now that we all know I'm right…" He was cut off as they took the keys from him and quickly pinned him to the floor. "I was only kidding. Can't you girls take a joke?"

"Since when do you joke?" Ashley questioned with a smile.

"Since I know now that everything's finally going our way," he replied. "No more evil equals us finally getting to start our life together." He couldn't think of a better time to do it so he quickly dropped to one knee and pulled a ring from his pocket. "Ashley Hammond, will you marry me?"

Ashley was at a loss for words and settled for nodding fiercely. She slung her arms around Andros' neck, knocking him once again to the floor before kissing him hungrily.

"Guys," Karone interrupted, "I hate to ruin the mood but we really should be getting back before everyone begins to worry."

"I guess you're right," Ashley agreed sadly and then she whispered to Andros, "We'll finish this later."

It wasn't long before they were entering earth's atmosphere and their friends' faces came into view. They couldn't help but laugh a little at the worried look on their faces and quickly landed.

"Oh no, Astronama won," Zhane whispered, tears forming in his eyes. All the rangers and the community of Angel Groove watched closely as the ramp descended from the Dark Fortress and three figures slowly made their way down the ramp. Zhane and his friends let out the breath they hadn't even realized they had been holding as they recognized the figures and rushed forward to hug them. "What happened?"

"It doesn't matter now," Andros stated. "All that matters is this is finally over and we have nothing to worry about anymore."

"Hey, what's that?" Cassie questioned as she caught a glimpse of something on her friend's finger.

"That's an engagement ring," Ashley answered smoothly a bright smile coming across her face.

"Well, it's about time," Bryce stated, patting his brother on the back. "You've only had that thing for three months." The rock that found its way to the side of Bryce's head caused everyone to laugh and they got ready to return to KO-35.

Hours later Andros and Ashley laid in each others arms after some extreme love making, both very content. Neither had thought about what might happen in the future, they were just enjoying their time together. Even Andros was relaxed now, he already knew what he was going to do when he was asked to return home to KO-35. He still intended to help them when he could but other wise he was staying with Ashley. He was finally sure that she was the one for him.

The next morning DECA's alarm rudely woke everyone on the Megaship and they grumpily headed down to KO-35. After a huge breakfast they were given the official tour and official badges to show them the gratitude of not only KO-35 but the entire universe. Later after all the supplies had been loaded and unloaded the group made their way to where Kinwon and Tyqwa stood.

"So, what are you going to do?" she asked the natives of KO-35.

"We're staying here," Bryce answered for himself, Zarkin, and Kilee.

"And we're going to earth," Andros added for himself, Zhane, and Karone. As they looked as though they were about to argue he continued, "we'll only be a call away and we'll visit as much as we can." His siblings nodded giving out hugs to their new friends and watched sadly as they flew off in the Megaship.

"Now what?" Ashley asked Andros as they sat in their respected stations on the Bridge.

"Now, we begin our life together," he answered simply pulling her in for a kiss.

A/N: Please Review! I know it's been forever but I seriously thought I had put this chapter up. Apparently I finished it but didn't update it for some now unknown reason but at least it's done now.


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